Some students inherit a roadmap. Harshita Sharma had to create one from whatever was available, while her family quietly made room for her ambitions.
Harshita is pursuing BTech in Mechanical Engineering at Kamla Nehru Institute of Technology, Sultanpur in UP. Reaching this stage was never a straight path. Her father once ran a small paan shop, but rising educational expenses for three children made it difficult to continue. The shop had to be rented out, and that modest rent now supports a household of six, including an elderly grandparent. In some homes, financial strain is discussed occasionally. In Harshita’s family, it shapes everyday decisions.
When the time came for college admission, her father borrowed money from people around him, and her mother mortgaged her small jewellery to arrange the fees. It was a simple decision made by parents who believed their daughter’s education was worth more than gold.
Harshita’s journey had already shown signs of determination much earlier. After Class 10, she cleared the selection process for Mahamana Shiksha Sansthan, a Lucknow based non-profit organization, where she received textbooks and a mobile phone to prepare for the JEE entrance examination. Once she found the right direction, she used online coaching through Physics Wallah and successfully cleared JEE Main. For many students, these may seem like ordinary resources. For Harshita, they were tools that opened a door.
Today, she describes herself simply as sincere and hardworking, and that honesty reflects in the way she approaches life. She has focused on strengthening her academics, building technical knowledge, learning programming fundamentals, and improving communication skills. Without access to expensive opportunities or polished platforms, she has relied on consistency. She studies beyond the syllabus, solves coding problems, sharpens logical thinking, and keeps discipline at the centre of her routine.
She has also contributed in the ways available to her. Harshita helps classmates and juniors understand concepts, shares study materials, and supports younger students around her with encouragement toward education. Her sense of responsibility is practical and grounded.
What stands out most about Harshita is not hardship alone, but perspective. The willingness to step outside her comfort zone, the self awareness to recognise that she must build her English speaking skills, and the courage to think bigger are all evident in her journey. She wants to build a stable technical career, become financially independent, and support the family that carried her this far. It is a clear goal, shaped by lived reality.
The Shiksha Sankalp Society Lakshya Scholarship recognises students whose potential is stronger than their circumstances. Harshita Sharma represents exactly that spirit. She is not asking for an easy road. She is asking for the chance to keep moving forward.
Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) at NIT Silchar, Assam
AI & Data Science at M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Mathikere, Karnataka
