Apeejay School Rama Mandi class 10 toppers are driven by a desire to help humanity through innovation and Science

An urge to innovate, study Science for the benefit of humankind and find solutions for the biggest problems afflicting the planet are some of the common traits that unite the group of class 10 toppers in the CBSE term 1 exam at Apeejay School, Rama Mandi. The school boasts an impressive 40 Perfect centums in English, 9 in Punjabi, 4 in Hindi and 3 in Maths.
When we picked the minds of a few brilliant achievers of the school, most of them expressed their desire to pursue Sciences after class 10.

Sukhmanjot Kaur, who has scored a perfect 40/40 in Mathematics, Science, English, Hindi and Punjabi to notch up a jaw-dropping percentage of 99.5%, for instance, wants to pursue the medical stream in class 11. “Going forward in class 11, I have decided for the Science stream with a Medical with Maths combination. Once I grow up I want to pursue a career in medicine,” she says.
And why does she want to become a doctor? “Well, I want to become a doctor since I want to bring some positive changes in society. I wish to help the people who need help and find cures for diseases in difficult times such as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It is in these tough times that people need positive solutions,” is her noble career objective.

The daughter of homemaker Sukhjeet Kaur Mattoo and businessman Kirpal Singh Mattoo says that her elder sister inspired her. “My elder sister was also a class 10 topper. She is now studying in class 12 with a Medical, Maths and Computers combination and she was the one who helped me out with studies, whenever I ran into any difficulty,” says Sukhmanjot.
Ask Sukhmanjot her mantra for success and she says that she puts in her best efforts in all subjects and then waits for results. “I put my best foot forward in whatever I do and do not focus on things that are not in my control. I like Science, Mathematical subjects and languages equally.”

Raghav Gupta, who has notched up an overall percentage of 96.5, with 40/40 in both English and Hindi, has set his sights high as far as career goals are concerned.  “I have been preparing for the JEE exam since class 9, because my ultimate goal is to go to IIT Bombay with rank one in the JEE entrance exam. I want to get into IIT Bombay because I believe that if I get into a good college and work really hard, I will realise my goal of becoming a software engineer.”
IT and software are Raghav’s big passions, he reveals. “I love to do coding and I am great at computers. I have made several presentations for my school and I have participated in competitions. I even won the first prize in an essay competition with the Science and Technology theme. I want to follow my passion for computers and invent apps that can change the lives of others for the better. I want to invent new apps for students and inventions that can make life easier. For instance, I want to invent a gadget that will enable people from all sections of society to access the Internet at very low costs. The Internet must not be the preserve of the wealthy, it must be accessible to everybody. I want to be the CEO of my own company where I can invent these gadgets myself. The two people who inspire me are Tesla CEO Elon Musk and more than him, Indian-origin tech CEO Sundar Pichai. He overcame some really tough circumstances, got into his dream college and became the CEO of a global tech giant such as Google,” says the son of businessman Pankaj Gupta.
To pursue his dreams, Raghav says he follows the simple mantra of positivity, multiplied by hard work and divided by confusion. “I am not one of those who say they won’t use mobile phones. I use them but only for the purposes of my studies and not for playing online games. For destressing and to refresh my mind, I go cycling or try other outdoor activities. I don’t have a single game downloaded on my phone and stay away from distractions such as rap music. My success mantra is positivity, multiplied by hard work and divided by confusion. Even if I had a single doubt, I used to immediately contact my respective subject teachers to clarify the doubt. Also, I don’t compare myself with others. My friend has got one mark higher than me in Maths. In the next term, I would ask him how he prepared to get inspired by him rather than feel jealous.”

Rohan Verma, who scored a perfect 40/40 in three subjects — English, Hindi and Maths with an aggregate of 96.5% – wants to become a computer engineer and innovator. “I want to pursue the non-medical stream in class 11 because I am interested in the Science stream in general and emerging technologies in particular. I want to work on inventions and develop ideas that will be of benefit to others. For instance, I want to look at emerging technologies that can replace the more polluting fossil fuels.”

Rohan equally credits his parents and teachers at Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, for his success. “I want to thank all my teachers who taught me so well. I like listening carefully to the lessons in the classroom. All of them supported me a lot. If I didn’t understand something, they taught me again and again, till the concept was clear. My Principal Sangeeta Nistandra, in particular, is a hugely inspiring figure. She told us not to lose heart, in case we received low grades in any of the exams including pre-boards. She motivated me to keep doing better till we got the final outcome.”
Rohan says his parents were a pillar of support for him. “My father Vipin Verma is a construction manager with Reliance Jio and my mother is a teacher. She teaches Hindi and a few other subjects to primary classes. She was of enormous help while preparing for my Hindi exam and my father taught me Mathematics.”
Elaborating upon his exam preparation strategy, Rohan says he never underwent any coaching and relied on self-study. “One should be prepared on one’s own in order to score well in the examinations. So, I did not go in for any tuition or coaching and depended on self-study. When required, I prepared on my own by watching videos on the Internet.”

“We at Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, build on children’s strengths by helping them recognise their abilities and experience the joy of learning and they have made us proud by excelling in class 10. The teachers have worked really hard in spite of all odds along with the students. I would also like to thank our esteemed parents who have placed complete trust in Apeejay Rama Mandi and  I assure you, we always have and  will reciprocate this trust by all means in all the times to come and the results bear testimony to it.”

-Sangeeta Nistandra, Principal,  Apeejay School, Rama Mandi