Two girls of Noida are proof that academic excellence is a result of sheer hard work and determination. When the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) class 12 results came on Saturday, Nidhi Upadhyay and Srishti Singh, both government school students, scored over 96% to do their alma maters proud.
Upadhyay, a humanities student of Mahamaya Balika Inter College in Noida Sector 44, scored 96.2 %. Her father Ram Prakash drives an autorickshaw in Noida and the family stays in Vaishali, Ghaziabad.
“For the past two years, I have been staying in my college hostel and my teachers have been extremely supportive. My parents asked me to focus on my studies and not to think about any financial adversity. I wish to become an IAS officer and make my family proud,” she said.
Ram Prakash said he has been driving his autorickshaw day and night in order to make ends meet and ensure that his daughter gets the best resources available.
“I have been staying in Vaishali for the past 15 years and I have always managed to ensure that my daughter gets the best resources available to help her in her studies. She is a talented child and I am sure that one day, she will achieve her dream of becoming an IAS officer,” the proud father said.
Seventeen-year-old Srishti Singh, another student of the same inter college, has a similar story to tell. She scored 96.8% in the science stream (biology).
Her father Sunil Singh runs a small garments shop in Atta Market, Noida, and her mother Sudha Singh is a homemaker. They reside in Sector 19.
Mahamaya Balika Inter College principal Pratibha Singh said Srishti’s family was financially distressed and they were unable to pay her fee in class 12. Overcoming all these odds, Srishti scripted her success through determination and hard work.
“My family has been facing financial difficulties for the past one year due to a few hiccups in my father’s business. Also, my parents had to meet medical expenses after I fell ill for a few months.But, my teachers were extremely supportive of me and they held evening classes for us at the hostel. My only advice to my juniors is this: Completely trust your teachers,” Singh said.
She wishes to become an army doctor and, next year, she will appear for the entrance examination. “I wish to pursue a medical degree and become an army doctor,” she said.
