UPSC Success Story: The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is recognized as one of the toughest recruitment exams in the country which mandates unwavering dedication, perseverance, and hard work from aspirants to wish to become and IAS, IFS, or an IFS officer. Those who achieve success in UPSC exams often have an inspirational tale to narrate about their journey, and one such example is the story of IAS Rena Jamil, a mechanic’s daughter from a humble background, who through her sheer hard work cracked the tough exam and became an IAS officer.
Born on December 25, 1988, in a low-income household in Chhatabad, a sleepy little village in Dhanbad district in Jharkhand, Rena Jamil grew up in poverty and attended an Urdu-medium government school till Class 8th. Rena’s father, Mohammad Jamil Ansari, worked as a mechanical fitter at a Tata Steel plant, while her mother, Naseem Ara, was a housewife, who had received basic education till Class 8, ironically from the same state-run school where Rena completed her early education.
Despite facing financial challenges during her childhood, Rena Jamil never gave up her pursuit of getting a good education, and after completing her schooling, got a Bachelors degree and later topped the college when she earned her Masters degree in Zoology.
After completing her education, Rena Jamil started preparing for Forest Service exam and it was during her preparation, that her older brother inspired her to dream bigger and try for UPSC CSE and become an IAS officer.
It was 2014 when Rena began preparing for UPSC exams but failed to crack it in her first attempt. She managed to clear the exam in her second attempt, but due to her low All-India Rank (AIR) of 882, she was given Indian Information Service cadre. Rena joined the service but did not stop preparing for another crack at UPSC CSE to better her rank and achieve her dream of becoming an IAS officer.
In 2017, she went for a third attempt but failed to clear the prelims, which prompted her to reflect upon her weaknesses and work on them. Ahead of her fourth UPSC attempt in 2018, Rena Jamil took a leave from her job to prepare and ultimately succeeded in clearing UPSC CSE for the second time in a span of four years, this time with a much better AIR of 380, thus realizing her goal of becoming an IAS officer.
Following her success, in 2019, IAS Rena Jamil was posted as a trainee in Bastar, Chhattisgarh as the Assistant Collector. Later, she was appointed SDM in the same district. Rena’s husband, Reyaz Ahmed is also an IAS officer from the same 2019 batch.
Rena Jamil often reiterates how her mother played a crucial role in her success. In a interview, Jamil revealed that despite having only basic education, her mother always encouraged her to go for her dreams.
“She always told us that even if I could not do anything with my life, you should not do the same and do something. Stand on your own feet before marriage and achieve your dreams,” Rena recalled her mother as saying.
Despite coming from an economically weak background, Rena and her sibling completely changed their destiny through education. Rena’s older brother is an IRS officer, her younger brother is an engineer in Prasar Bharati, while her younger sister has completed her B.Ed. and is on the path to become a school teacher.
Here’s her story.
Who is IAS Rena Jamil?
Born on December 25, 1988, in a low-income household in Chhatabad, a sleepy little village in Dhanbad district in Jharkhand, Rena Jamil grew up in poverty and attended an Urdu-medium government school till Class 8th. Rena’s father, Mohammad Jamil Ansari, worked as a mechanical fitter at a Tata Steel plant, while her mother, Naseem Ara, was a housewife, who had received basic education till Class 8, ironically from the same state-run school where Rena completed her early education.
Despite facing financial challenges during her childhood, Rena Jamil never gave up her pursuit of getting a good education, and after completing her schooling, got a Bachelors degree and later topped the college when she earned her Masters degree in Zoology.
After completing her education, Rena Jamil started preparing for Forest Service exam and it was during her preparation, that her older brother inspired her to dream bigger and try for UPSC CSE and become an IAS officer.
Mechanic’s daughter becomes IAS
It was 2014 when Rena began preparing for UPSC exams but failed to crack it in her first attempt. She managed to clear the exam in her second attempt, but due to her low All-India Rank (AIR) of 882, she was given Indian Information Service cadre. Rena joined the service but did not stop preparing for another crack at UPSC CSE to better her rank and achieve her dream of becoming an IAS officer.
In 2017, she went for a third attempt but failed to clear the prelims, which prompted her to reflect upon her weaknesses and work on them. Ahead of her fourth UPSC attempt in 2018, Rena Jamil took a leave from her job to prepare and ultimately succeeded in clearing UPSC CSE for the second time in a span of four years, this time with a much better AIR of 380, thus realizing her goal of becoming an IAS officer.
Following her success, in 2019, IAS Rena Jamil was posted as a trainee in Bastar, Chhattisgarh as the Assistant Collector. Later, she was appointed SDM in the same district. Rena’s husband, Reyaz Ahmed is also an IAS officer from the same 2019 batch.
Rena Jamil often reiterates how her mother played a crucial role in her success. In a interview, Jamil revealed that despite having only basic education, her mother always encouraged her to go for her dreams.
“She always told us that even if I could not do anything with my life, you should not do the same and do something. Stand on your own feet before marriage and achieve your dreams,” Rena recalled her mother as saying.
Despite coming from an economically weak background, Rena and her sibling completely changed their destiny through education. Rena’s older brother is an IRS officer, her younger brother is an engineer in Prasar Bharati, while her younger sister has completed her B.Ed. and is on the path to become a school teacher.