Many young aspirants face setbacks while pursuing their dreams, but some refuse to let those challenges define their journey. IPS officer Jaya Sharma is one such example for today's Gen Z, turning every hurdle into another step towards her goal of joining the Indian Police Service.

From a small village in Haryana to studying at IIT Delhi, serving as a DSP in the Haryana Police and eventually securing AIR 248 in UPSC CSE 2023, Sharma's journey is marked by perseverance, determination and a clear commitment to public service. Today, Sharma is a 2024-batch IPS officer. 

ALSO READ: UPSC Success Story: How Gen Z Girl Kuhoo Garg Cracks UPSC On Bed Rest? Joins IPS In Father's Retirement Year

From Badwa Village To Haryana Police

Jaya Sharma was born on April, 3, 1997, in Badwa village of Hisar district in Haryana. Her father, Pramod Sharma, served as a DFSC in the Food and Supplies Department, while her mother, Neetu Sharma, is a homemaker.

Sharma did her schooling at Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar and graduated from Delhi University. After that, she pursued her post-graduation from IIT Delhi. During her postgraduate studies, she also worked on a research project with ISRO.

UPSC Journey Took More Than One Attempt

Sharma's initial UPSC attempt did not produce the result she was seeking. Reports state that she could not clear the exam in her first attempt. Instead of abandoning her civil services goal, she reviewed the areas where her preparation needed improvement and continued working towards the examination.

Her journey also took another significant turn during this period. Sharma appeared for the HPSC examination and secured 8th rank, which led to her selection as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Haryana Police.

She Prepared For UPSC While Serving As DSP

Sharma, even after joining the Haryana Police, was still chasing her UPSC dream. At the time of declaration of the UPSC 2023 result, she was an under-training DSP in Haryana. 

The second UPSC attempt brought the result she had been working towards. Sharma secured All India Rank 248 in UPSC CSE 2023, received the IPS cadre and became part of the 2024 batch of IPS officers.

ALSO READ: 4 IAS, 1 IPS And 2 IRS: Gyanesh Kumar’s Daughters, Sons-In-Law In Civil Services; Meet CEC's Distinguished Family

A Journey Of Different Milestones

Sharma's path to the IPS was therefore built through several stages, from Badwa village and her education in Hisar, to Delhi University and IIT Delhi, an ISRO-linked research project, HPSC Rank 8 and a DSP posting, and finally AIR 248 in UPSC CSE 2023.

What makes her journey notable is not just the final UPSC rank, but the fact that she continued preparing for the national civil services examination even after securing a position in the state police.