Alumni Connect, Saloni Panda: Meet the Pune food blogger who put her digital marketing degree to use to bite into the social media fan base

From academics to dance and even animal welfare, Saloni Panda, tried it all during her college days when the rush to explore is ever-new. However, with 23.9k followers

From academics to dance and even animal welfare, Saloni Panda, tried it all during her college days when the rush to explore is ever-new. However, with 23.9k followers and counting, Saloni is now a successful food blogger and she gives credit to her passion for cooking and her college degree for her rising social media graph.

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Which college, course, and batch were you in?

I completed my BBA in Finance and Digital Marketing from the Flame University. I belong to the 2016-19 batch. I completed my schooling from the Delhi Public School, Pune and pursued commerce in high school.

How were you in academics - a brilliant student, average or below average?

I was good in studies. Apart from academics, I have always had an interest in art and the creative field and that’s how I pursued Odissi dance and later on, entered blogging as well.

What drove you to choose this career path and how did the college help you achieve your career goals?

I mainly credit my passion for cooking which helped me enter the field. I didn’t know what the blogging industry is about, but slowly as when I started, I understood how it works. During my school days, I used to be an introvert and was afraid of speaking in front of people and had low self-confidence. However, when I started my journey at Flame, I learned so much from my experiences in college. Every day, I learned something new and became an outgoing and smart person. I went from being an introvert to being a confident woman and my college has helped me majorly in shaping my personality. Digital marketing has also helped me immensely in being a successful content creator online. When I started, I had zero ideas about how the industry works, but I used my digital marketing knowledge for my online page as well. It helped me understand how I should plan my content and who I should target. We had a lot of practical assignments in the course that I absolutely enjoyed and it is certainly helping me a lot now.

Are you also working, apart from pursuing your passion? How has your journey been after college?

I am currently working in an MNC as a financial accountant. I've learned a lot of new things and had new experiences in the two years that I started blogging. I have evolved as a person. I had the best three years of my life during college as I did everything under the sun. From starting a classical dance club to promoting Indian classical dance and working towards animal welfare. Every experience has been very enriching.

What about the highs and lows of your career so far?

It feels great when you work hard and get validation for it. From receiving the ‘super womaniya of the year’ award to being invited as a guest to the biggest college fest in the city, I feel a sense of satisfaction. However, it comes with a sense of responsibility to work harder every day. There haven't been any major lows so far.

What are your future plans?

I want to get into travel and food journalism. It's always been my dream to explore different cuisines all over the world in their purest forms. As of now, my focus is on building a good audience base on my page so that it will help me, when I pursue my dream.