It is rightly said that success comes to those who work hard for it. For this young lady from Coimbatore, it was only due to her dedication and focus that she was able to secure a seat at a private college for the Bachelor of Dental Surgery program, reported The New Indian Express.
18-year-old R Swetha Packiyam burnt the midnight oil and scored 142 marks out of the 720 marks in NEET-2020 without attending any coaching class. A student of the Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, Swetha didn’t take any coaching and only studied from the books her father, a daily wage worker at a lathe workshop, bought for her.
Her father couldn’t afford to buy her a smartphone to attend online NEET coaching classes. However, Swetha was determined to crack the exam come what may.
Her teachers were also available for her and solved her doubts whenever needed. And finally, she successfully bagged a seat at the first phase of Medical Counselling (2020-2021) after it began with the allotment of seats for government school students under the 7.5 percent horizontal quota.
On learning that the State government would bear the educational expenses of students like her, Swetha and her family were thrilled. But they got worried when they had to pay Rs 55,000 immediately as material fee. But thankfully, her school teachers came to her rescue again.
“Soon after we came to know that she secured a seat in a dental college, we started pooling in money,” said P Palaniammal, headmistress of her school in Ramakrishnapuram.
“We managed to collect around Rs 46,000. The remaining amount was paid by Swetha’s family. It was using a portion of the collected money Swetha had gone to Chennai to attend the counseling.”
Obviously, Shweta was exhilarated. She thanked the government for bearing her expenses and her teachers for making her dream come true. “My teachers’ timely aid helped me secure this seat. I’m a first-generation graduate and the sole person to pursue medicine from my family,” she said.
More power to you, girl, and hats off to her teachers who helped her at every step.