“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Introduction
Born on 11 January 1987 in a humble rural area near Mansa, Dr. Sheena Bansal grew up rooted in simplicity yet nurtured by a father whose open-mindedness and unwavering belief in her potential opened doors that often remained closed for many girls in similar settings. He championed her education and personal growth, allowing her to explore beyond conventional boundaries—and it was from these early days that her curious and ambitious spirit took flight.
With her sharp intellect and quick learning ability, she secured an impressive rank in AIEEE — a dream achievement for lakhs of non-medical students across numerous coaching institutes in India. Coming from a remote town, she became the first girl to step out for higher studies and joined NIT Jalandhar to pursue her Bachelor in Technology. Embracing the reality that “life is not so easy,” she began her career in a dyeing factory, working 12-hour shifts as the only female staff member in the entire unit, showcasing resilience and determination. Driven by a passion for both creativity and precision, she pursued an M.Tech from NIFT Delhi—a place that honed her design instincts and technical insight. During this time, she immersed herself in understanding fabrics, fashion systems, and industrial processes. But her learning didn’t stop there. Her quest for knowledge led her back to Jalandhar, where she took up doctoral-level studies at NIT Jalandhar—one of India’s premier technical institutes with a rich history and reputation for academic excellence. While there, she worked in the Department of Textile Engineering, focusing her research on apparel manufacturing engineering and garment comfort—seeking ways to make textiles not only fulfil basic need but also deeply functional and comfortable.
Armed with academic credentials and fueled by practical ambition, Sheena ventured into the heart of industry in New Delhi. For over three years, she led teams and managed operations in apparel manufacturing—a period that grounded her in the operational realities of production lines, timelines, and people-centered workflows. The intensity of that experience helped shape her into a leader who understood process metrics and valued the human nuances behind every garment.
Her next chapter unfolded in the lecture halls of NIT Jalandhar, where she embraced the role of Assistant Professor. She enjoyed nurturing young talent, bridging theory with real-world application. Teaching, she knew, was more than sharing facts—it was about awakening curiosity and readiness to solve industry challenges.
Beyond academia and factory floors, Sheena discovered her knack for making data dance. She developed automated Excel tools that took tedious numbers and transformed them into dynamic insights—reporting dashboards, management trackers, efficiency logs—everything designed to inform, inspire, and streamline decision-making.
Phase 1 : Dreams Anchored in Humility: The Story of Sheena Bansal
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”
Sheena Bansal was born on a crisp winter morning—11 January 1987—in a tranquil rural area near Mansa. It was in this unassuming setting, where simplicity ruled and dreams were quietly fostered, that the seeds of her remarkable journey were sown. Her parents, Ashok Kumar Bansal and Shashi Kiran Bansal, were her world—and in their open-minded encouragement, she discovered the freedom to learn, to roam, and to imagine. Her father, especially, stood as an emblem of progressive thought in a traditional milieu—urging her to question, to explore, and to seek possibilities that lay beyond rural boundaries.
In those early years, home was more than a physical space—it was a laboratory of curiosity. Her parents encouraged her not just to study, but to wonder. They guided her gently, nurturing a spark that grew into a steady flame: the belief that through learning and perseverance, a girl from a quiet village could write her own future. Like every elder sister is a born teacher, her younger brother’s careless attitude toward studies, his lovable face, and mischievous spirit filled her childhood with countless adventures. And amidst these moments, while not a born engineer, her experiments with science projects—sometimes even enduring tiny electric shocks—sparked a fire within her to aim higher, compete fearlessly, face challenges, and ultimately achieve.
When Sheena was in the 10th grade, her parents steered her toward a path where passion met practicality. “You should choose the branch that will help you build a secure and meaningful career,” they advised. And so, at a time when most teenagers are still discovering themselves, Sheena made a deliberate decision: she would pursue engineering. It wasn’t a fleeting thought—it was her resolve, shaped early and held tightly. In her own words: “I had made up my mind.” That quiet decisiveness marked the start of a life defined by clarity of purpose.
But if her early education sparked her intellect, it was sports that forged her heart. She discovered kho-kho and table tennis—games played with fierce energy and nimble spirit. Competing at the national level, captaining her kho-kho team, Sheena found herself immersed in lessons far greater than any classroom could offer. Every sprint across the dusty field, every volley of the ball, every strategic play—it was all training in leadership, resilience, and composure.
Sport became her “real-world classroom.” More than the thrill of victory or the sting of defeat, sports taught her to stand tall under pressure, to think on her feet, and to lead with quiet intensity. She learned that leadership was not born from titles, but from trust, teamwork, and empathy. Participating in camps where she often felt out of place—among unfamiliar faces and environments—taught her adaptability and the art of belonging. If you can find your place in discomfort, she learned, you can find your place anywhere.
Phase 2 : Awakening Potential and Academic Ascendancy
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
Winter had barely lifted from the rural skies when young Sheena stood at a crossroads in life. It was during her 10th grade that her parents—Ashok Kumar Bansal and Shashi Kiran Bansal—gently yet resolutely guided her toward the non-medical engineering stream. In that quiet moment, beneath the world of textbooks and village roads, Sheena “made up her mind.” That choice wasn’t merely academic; it was a declaration of intent and self-belief.
Though Sheena did not see herself as particularly studious, her consistent top ranks unveiled a talent shaped by subtle perseverance. She secured an impressive rank of approximately 6000 in the coveted IIT-JEE and around 1200 in the AIEEE, alongside stellar state-level achievements. Yet the real triumph transcended numbers: she became the first girl from her city to vie for and win an engineering seat outside Mansa. This milestone wasn’t just personal—it was a beacon for countless others, signaling that small-town girls could tread bold paths.
The world beyond her village beckoned when she stepped into the majestic red-brick campus of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar. Here, amid sprawling green fields, hostels buzzing with midnight chatter, and lecture halls filled with voices from across the nation, Sheena encountered a spectrum of ideas, rhythms, and cultures. She embraced it all—with humility and hunger—until she emerged in 2008 with a B.Tech in hand.
Rather than slowing down, her ambition soared. She made her way to the halls of NIFT in New Delhi, where creativity and technicality entwined. Within those studios and pattern-making labs, she completed her M.Tech in Fashion Technology in 2011. Here, she deepened her design thinking while grounding it in precision—a blend of heart and hands.
But Sheena wasn’t one to keep knowledge to herself. In 2017, she envisioned and delivered a two-day symposium—“Recent Advancements in Apparel Production and Quality”—where industry professionals and young minds met under her guidance. Later that year, she co-led a week-long course on “Air Pollution Control Techniques,” designed for educators and students eager to walk the path of sustainability. And in Ludhiana, she built a vibrant five-day, hands-on workshop on “Digital Textile Printing,” training thirty-five professionals utilizing her own training modules.
These were more than workshops—they were living forums where Sheena converged ideas with impact, education with empathy, and technical mastery with practical outcomes.
Phase 3 : Stepping into Professional Identity
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”
It began with a hum inside her—an almost silent conviction that the world was waiting, quietly, for her to make her mark. Leaving the structured rhythm of academic life at NIT Jalandhar, Sheena entered her first assignment at a dyeing facility in Ludhiana with measured calm; however, inside her, a thrum of nerves and hope pulsed.
Yet Sheena didn’t falter. Her early tenacity earned her pre-placement offers across all three of her required industrial training programs—a testament to her competence, adaptability, and bright professionalism. With guidance from first Boss cum Guru Mr Arvind Rastogi, she entered each assignment with a willingness to learn and an authenticity that quietly turned skeptics into admirers. She took complete responsibility of Production reports, dispenser operations, spectrophotometer reports, Quality reports for Export Clients and so on incorporating her skills with need of the job.
One of her earliest leadership milestones was ambitious and creative: Sheena spearheaded a women’s tailored jeans brand. Envisioning both comfort and style, she deservedly blended her lady’s wardrobe sensibility with technical precision—a manifestation of her M.Tech training at NIFT Delhi. As she guided the project from ideas to cloth, Sheena also joined hands in NIFT’s IndiaSize R&D initiative under Dr Nupur Anand, Professor, helping redefine fashion’s approach to size and inclusivity. Through that dedication, she reminded herself—and the industry—that excellence feels authentic when empathy and expertise walk together.
Her rising trajectory later carried her to bustling New Delhi, where she served as an executive and team leader in apparel manufacturing. Over three-plus years, she immersed herself in the operational heartbeats of the industry—streamlining production, sharpening efficiency, and understanding the rhythm of scale. Each factory floor taught her more about process, precision, and people.
As life demanded a halt from industry to fulfill her responsibility as a mother, she was not able to stop or sit idle. Instead, she felt a call to nurture those who were following after her. She returned to NIT Jalandhar as an assistant professor, embracing a role with deep purpose: guiding aspiring minds, shaping innovative curriculum, and bolstering academic frameworks.