3 students who rose from the ranks

Lucknow, Nov 5 (IANS) Three young achievers from economically underprivileged families in the hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh, have set an example by leveraging their academic opportunities to not just transform their lives, but also inspire several others to invest in education for a brighter future.

The journey of these students is a testimony to the multiplier effect of education on young minds.

Sumit Singh, Shikoh Zaidi and Himanshu Sharma could have never imagined a world beyond their government primary school until destiny unfolded its plan when they got selected at VidyaGyan Leadership Academy in Uttar Pradesh, which provides free world-class education to underprivileged meritorious students.

Girls in the conservative communities of Kuwarpur Baghel village in Hardoi district are rarely outspoken or independent.

But Zaidi family's elder daughter, Shikoh took the mantle of changing the discourse around taboo topic menstruation after becoming aware during her discussions with teachers and mentors at VidyaGyan.

Her exposure to life and world at the residential school made her confident and ambitious which also influenced her twin sister immensely.

Eventually, Shikoh made it to the Georgetown University in Qatar with full financial aid while her sister also excelled academically at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Hardoi.

The younger one works towards social upliftment of women too and appeared for the NEET 2021 as she aspires to become a doctor.

A similar story is that of Sumit who took inspiration from his elder brother -- Updesh Singh -- an alumnus of the first batch of VidyaGyan.

Moved and impressed with his brother's transformation, Sumit took a pledge to make it to the academy. He got selected and then never looked back. The opportunities through projects and competitions at school instilled confidence in him to become a go getter in life.

Today, Sumit is a software engineer at Gourney Consulting in the US where he got placed after completing his graduation from Penn State University this year.

Sumit has become a mini celebrity in his village where young students look up to him as their role model.

Another impactful journey is of Himanshu, who is the only one to pursue higher education in his village where the environment has never been academically motivating.

He also made it to the Virginia Tech University in the US and now works as a software engineer at Dematic in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This life changing experience has had a direct impact on his brother who followed his brother's footsteps and excelled in his studies at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya.

Influenced by Himanshu's achievements, the younger one is aiming to pursue Physics and is already participating in many Science competitions.

From taking their families out of the vicious circle of poverty through education, to becoming successful individuals in their socio economically backward communities, each of them has an inspiring story to share.