Overcoming Adversity (Academic Excellence Story)

Priya Verma’s home in rural Bihar didn’t have electricity until she was 12. Yet, she dreamed of becoming a software engineer. Each evening, she studied by kerosene lamp, determined to change her fate. Her school lacked proper resources—no computer lab, no science equipment. Still, Priya borrowed used books and made her own flashcards. She studied English from old newspapers and listened to BBC news on radio to improve fluency. Despite limited coaching options, she cracked the state scholarship exam and earned a spot in a top school in Patna. There, she encountered a new challenge—social isolation. Her peers were fluent, polished, tech-savvy. Priya felt like an outsider. But she used the library as her fortress. She improved her English, learned coding online, and joined a coding bootcamp on a partial scholarship. Her dedication paid off when she scored a full ride to a leading engineering college. Today, Priya is a final-year student interning with a global tech firm. She mentors rural girls through video classes and village meetups. “Adversity sharpened me,” she says. “And now, I want to be the light someone else studies by.”