There are some stories that do not begin with achievement. They begin with interruption.
For Priya Tiwari, that interruption came early, in class 6, when financial constraints at home forced her to step away from school. At that age, she believed her education might have ended before it truly began. There was uncertainty, and more than that, a quiet acceptance that higher studies might not be part of her future.
But life shifted again when a local school offered her a conditional path back. If she could maintain the first position in her class, her fees would be waived. It was not framed as opportunity in a grand sense. It was practical, almost strict. Priya met it the same way. From that point onward, she did not just continue her education, she anchored herself in it, consistently topping her classes till class 10.
Priya comes from Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, from a family of seven. Her father works in a sweet shop and remains the only earning member in the household. Along with three siblings, education has always been a shared aspiration and a shared financial challenge. Every academic step forward has also been a negotiation with limited means.
Priya’s journey took a more structured turn when in Class 11, she secured admission at Mahamana Shikshan Sansthan, Lucknow. Those two years became a defining phase in her life. It was not only about preparation for JEE with access to free coaching, but also about being in an environment that shaped how she thinks, communicates, and carries herself. Priya describes this period as the most formative part of her academic journey, where discipline and personality development grew alongside academic preparation.
Today, Priya is pursuing Computer Science Engineering at NIT Patna. She is the first in her family to leave her hometown and live in a hostel for her undergraduate studies. That transition was not just geographic, it was emotional and deeply personal, representing a break from familiarity and an entry into independence.
At college, Priya has actively built her place beyond academics. She has participated in hackathons and technical events, and is a member of HackSlash, the coding club at her institution, where she contributes as part of the social media team. She is also involved in the National Service Scheme (NSS), where she takes on the role of teaching students from weaker and underserved backgrounds. In addition, she represents her class as a Girl Class Representative, balancing responsibility with participation in student life.
When asked about her future, Priya speaks with clarity rather than certainty. She hopes to work as a software engineer after completing her degree, and also carry forward a commitment to contributing to society in her own capacity once she becomes financially independent. On the question of artificial intelligence and its role in her field, she does not see it as a limitation. For her, AI is an enabler, something that will change how work is done but not diminish the value of human effort or learning. It is a perspective shaped less by theory and more by adaptability.
The Shiksha Sankalp Lakshya Scholarship recognises students whose journeys have involved both effort and constraint, where continuing education has often meant making steady, practical choices over time. Priya’s path reflects that reality clearly.
She is still early in her professional journey, but she has already built a pattern of taking responsibility seriously, whether in her studies, her club work, or her teaching role in NSS. What she does next will likely continue in the same direction, as she moves from learning to working life.
Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) at NIT Silchar, Assam
AI & Data Science at M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Karnataka
