Dhanbad: There is no limit to human capabilities and there are no obstacles big enough that cannot be crossed. It’s truly incredible how one’s determination and perseverance can help them reach the skies. Rena Jamil, an IAS officer from 2019 batch, has a truly remarkable story to share. 

Who is Rena Jamil?

Rena Jamil is a resident of Dhanbad, Jharkhand. She completed her elementary education from a government Urdu-medium school. She passed her board exams with excellent marks and then pursued a BSc degree in Zoology from a local university. She also holds MSc and BEd degrees. 

Rena’s father, Mohammad Jamil Ansari is a retired mechanic from Tata company. Her mother, Naseem Ara is a homemaker. She has an elder brother who works in the Indian Revenue Service. Her younger brother in an engineer and her sister is currently pursuing a master’s degree. 

Overcoming challenges

Rena’s university was located 25 kilometres away from home. She sometimes covered that distance by rickshaw, bus or on foot. After completing her graduation, she firmed upon the idea of becoming a Forest Officer. She had discussions with her brother who guided her and helped her prepare for UPSC.

Journey from failure to success

In the year 2014, Rena Jamil began preparing for the UPSC exams. She appeared for the exams for the first time and could not even clear the preliminary rounds. In her second attempt, she achieved 882nd rank. She was appointed in the Indian Information Service, and although she joined the service, she was not particularly happy with the outcome. 

Rena Jamil continued working towards her aim and appeared for 2017 UPSC exams but could not achieve her goal. In the year 2018, Rena finally accomplished her dream of becoming an IAS officer after securing an impressive 380th rank in UPSC. 

Rena Jamil’s first posting

Rena Jamil was appointed as a trainee officer in the Naxalite area of Bastar, Chhattisgarh. She worked as the Assistant Collector there. Later, she was promoted to the rank of SDM. Rena’s husband Reyaz Ahmed is also an IAS officer.