Aviation MBA grad encourages bursary recipients to reach for the sky

Concordia graduate Tulsi Nowlakha Mirchandaney, AMBA 00, has made her mark in India as the CEO of the country’s only scheduled domestic cargo airline, Blue Dart Aviation. After close to three decades of industry experience, Mirchandaney returned to university to study for her International Aviation MBA at Concordia in 1998.

“My time at the university was a tremendous experience,” she says. “I thought it would be interesting to have the macro perspective, the global overview. The degree provided this and was done in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association. Most importantly, I benefitted from a half-scholarship which made my studies possible.”

Mirchandaney now feels compelled to pay that good fortune forward. The executive — who initiated Blue Dart Aviation’s first international flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong in 2020 to transport critical COVID-19 medical gear — has given back to her alma mater with the Tulsi Nowlakha Mirchandaney Endowment and the Tulsi Nowlakha Mirchandaney In-Course Bursary for Supply Chain Operations Management students.

Prompted by her gratitude towards Concordia and strong belief in the value of a good education, Mirchandaney recently agreed to almost double her original endowment.

She credits her specialized MBA for enabling her to scale new heights in a male-dominated field. But, Mirchandaney adds, “Everyone faces challenges. Only you can decide how far you’re willing to go to break new barriers.”

The Concordia donor has been especially touched by the letters her bursary recipients send her. “One student said my bursary allowed him to focus on his studies and final exams without having to worry about putting food on the table or paying rent,” Mirchandaney says with pride. “It was heartening. Here was a deserving student who had a hunger to learn. That’s what one looks for — people with a thirst for self-development and progress.”