Real-Life Stories of Students Who Overcame Challenges & Achieved Success in CBSE, NEET & JEE

She scored 97% in the CBSE Class 10 board exams. Despite suffering from Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), she never underestimated her abilities and aimed for excellence in board exams. According to Radhika, studying for exams is not easy for anyone. However, it certainly becomes more difficult for someone with learning abilities. Due to Dyscalculia, Mathematics was a tough nut to crack for her. Nevertheless, her extraordinary perseverance helped her overcome all sorts of challenges. Moreover, during the examinations, she was provided with a writer, who allowed her to focus on answering questions rather than stressing over writing.

A cancer survivor and a student with dyslexia, Anandini inspired many students across the country with her perseverance and a “never quit” attitude. At the tender age of 2.5 years, she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a form of cancer. Her trauma didn’t stop there. After undergoing surgery, she developed a spinal condition called kyphoscoliosis. But all these challenges could not break her. Her parents became her backbone and kept supporting her. With their support and courage, she ultimately scored 78% in the CBSE Class 12 Board exams. She went on to pursue a major in Psychology.

Saloni’s story once again proves that if you have the will, you will have the way. Despite being the daughter of a daily wage earner in Lucknow, Saloni made sure that her economic circumstances didn’t pose a challenge to her studies and she went on to score 97% in the science stream. Her father was laid off from a private company. Left with no choice, he started painting houses for a living and the family braved extreme financial hardships. Nevertheless, Saloni’s determination to excel in her studies didn’t go unnoticed and her school St Anjani’s Public School decided to take things into their own hands. They played a pivotal role in providing her with all possible support to create a great life and taking care of many of her financial burdens by waiving off fees. This infused a new vigor in Saloni which helped her clear the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main alongside scoring 97% in Class 12 board exams.

A cancer survivor, 19 years old Shubhank Shukla was diagnosed with the disease in Class 6. However, he didn’t want cancer to be associated with his identity. He wanted to carve a niche for himself and many other students like him. A student of DAV Public School in Ludhiana, he demonstrated excellent perseverance and will-power which ultimately helped him score 83% after fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). Shubhank is all set to become a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) after pursuing BCom and MBA degrees.

What might be considered impossible for a normal student was made possible by Rakshit. Rakshit’s story is no less than a fairy tale. Despite struggling with 90% visual impairment, Rakshit was determined to outperform his peers in CBSE board exams. His strong will-power helped him score an outstanding 97.4%. Not only this, he went on to secure the third rank in the differently-abled category of CBSE results. What’s fascinating about Rakshit’s success is that he never took the help of any coaching classes. Sometimes his teachers would read out lessons for him during extra hours in school. On the other hand, he had his mother at home who would sit with him and ensure that he didn’t have a problem.

Mudita’s story is another example of dedication, faith, and determination. Hailing from Faridabad, she topped the differently-abled category by scoring 97% marks. A student of DAV Public School, she was diagnosed with a Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) problem. However, this could not deter her from her ambitions of topping her exams and making her parents proud.

The daughter of a fisherman, Vineetha has done the unimaginable by successfully cracking the NEET examination and getting admission into an MBBS programme, embarking on a journey to become a doctor. This is a particularly extraordinary feat as she comes from an underprivileged background in a remote part of India, where students go through a lot of challenges. She got much-needed support in her NEET journey in the form of Adani Vidya Mandir School in Krishnapatnam. The school offered her all the resources to fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor.

An inhabitant of Srandoo village in Kashmir’s Kulgam district, she lost her father when she was studying in the 8th grade. However, she belittled all the challenges with her strong determination and cleared NEET on her first attempt. Misba studied in a regional school about 4 kilometers far from Kulgam’s main town. She got immense support from her school and community. Her mother is her pillar of strength. Misba got financial support from her grandparents and uncles.

Shahid’s story is another example that proves that economic circumstances can’t defeat you if you have the determination to excel in your studies. The son of a barbeque seller, he cleared NEET with a brilliant 640 score. Shahid credited his success to a low-budget online coaching program. He used to prepare alongside helping his father at his barbeque shop. The struggle became his source of motivation and determination to work hard and end his family’s hardships.

Coming from one of the most underprivileged sections of society, he is a student from the Kandha tribe. Pradhan was always passionate about pursuing an MBBS degree. His determination knew no limits. He helped his parents by tending to cows and goats during the day while giving complete focus to NEET preparation during nights. Despite having no role models, he kept going stronger and followed his dream. He secured 450 marks in NEET and entered SCB Medical College in Cuttack, one of India’s oldest and most coveted medical colleges.

Sarfaraz’s success story will inspire thousands of students who give up on their dreams and passions due to their poor background or societal pressure of sticking to their odd jobs. A labourer in the day and a NEET aspirant at night, he cracked the NEET 2024 exam with an outstanding score of 677 out of 720. Giving a setback to all the challenges, he secured a seat at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College in Kolkata. He used to lift 400 bricks daily from 6 am to 2 pm to support his family and fund his education by earning Rs 300 daily. He would be mocked by neighbours for aspiring big and working while studying. However, the taunts didn’t deter him and he proved how hard work can do the unimaginable.

Coming from one of the most underprivileged sections of society, he is a student from the Kandha tribe. Pradhan was always passionate about pursuing an MBBS degree. His determination knew no limits. He helped his parents by tending to cows and goats during the day while giving complete focus to NEET preparation during nights. Despite having no role models, he kept going stronger and followed his dream. He secured 450 marks in NEET and entered SCB Medical College in Cuttack, one of India’s oldest and most coveted medical colleges.

Son of a betel seller, Shubham struggled through many hardships in his childhood. His father could not barely make ends meet for his family. So, educating Shubham after class 10 was out of the question. Even Shubham had almost called it quit looking at his father’s inability to pay for his education. However, a tuition class came to his aid and made sure that the hardworking student got what he deserved. The tuition class gave him the golden opportunity to prepare for the JEE exam. For that, he had to sit for two written entrance tests and an interview. He performed well in their tests and was selected. There, he spent the next two years in preparation. He was one of the selected talented students who got to stay at the institute for two years, where they got proper guidance, free lodging, as well as food. Shubham left no stone unturned. His hard work truly spoke for him when the results were announced. He cleared JEE Main with a 99.56 percentile.

Born in an underprivilegedfamily in Andhra Pradesh, Naga was always brilliant in studies. His father is a lorry driver but despite this, his father did everything possible for the best of his studies. In 1993, Naresh met with a terrible accident when he fell off a lorry and lost both his legs. In his growing years, he was fascinated by computer science, algorithms, and game theory. This inspired him to enter IIT. He didn’t let the accident undermine his dreams to enter IIT. After the accident, he studied with even more focus and paid all his attention to his studies, and passed the IIT-JEE exam with an AIR of 992. He credits his success to his parents and Sundar, who after hearing Naresh’s story, came forward to pay his hostel fee. He kept his brilliance intact throughout the course at IIT Madras. His struggles finally paved the way to success when Google offered him a job.

Abhishek’s upbringing in the Lokmanya Tilak Nagar slum was marred with difficulties. The area was full of criminals and goons lacking civic sense and basic amenities which did not even have private toilets. His family of four lived in a tiny rented room in Chawl. Abhishek’s father, a labourer in a steel fabrication company, earned a meagre Rs 3,000 per month, making it extremely challenging to make ends meet. Despite all the challenges, Abhishek never lost sight of his studies, fuelled by a dream to bring his family out of poverty. Abhishek’s life took a turn after the announcement of his JEE Advanced results. He achieved an outstanding rank which secured his spot at IIT Delhi.

Born with deformed legs and missing fingers, Shivam was not willing that to be his identity. He had a rare birth defect phocomelia syndrome. During his growing years, he became determined to change that tag with education. However, this was never going to be easy due to his father’s modest income. His father barely managed to feed the family with a paan shop. Nevertheless, Shivam’s determination knew no boundaries and he overcame physical obstacles and financial difficulties to pass the GATE and gain admission to IIT Patna. Later on, he became a Telecom Officer at BSNL and that’s how he not only transformed his life but his family’s too.