‘My school taught me to be brave in the face of adversity’

In a candid chat, Riddhi Kapoor, who is taking her class XII Board exam this year, gets emotional while reminiscing about her journey at Apeejay School, Faridabad-Sector 15. She was also awarded the coveted Dr Stya Paul Award for Human Values recently. She talks about how her school played the most significant role in her overall growth.

Excerpts:

You won one of the most prestigious awards of Apeejay. How do you feel?

The fact that I was nominated as a worthy candidate for the award in itself was a very big deal. I used to hear about our seniors getting Dr Stya Paul Award for Human Values. When it was my turn, I felt honoured.

I already knew about our founder chairman and our legacy. But I wanted to know in depth. So, I researched a bit to know more about what human values actually meant. I thought of possible questions and practised my answers in front of the mirror.  

The final day of the interview was exciting since I got the opportunity to speak to the principal one-on-one. When it was announced that I had won the award, I was thrilled! My mother and grandparents (my father passed away due to COVID0-19) attended the award ceremony. I cannot express how happy I was to see my family feel proud of me. My teachers also congratulated me.

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What did you learn about human values?

The first thing to remember is that your actions should be heartfelt. When someone needs assistance, are you helping them instinctively or doing so on being told to help? It is not like you will be punished by society if you don’t help but the real question is, why should you not? Live happily but make others happy too.

As your journey at Apeejay comes to an end, how would you describe your personal growth over the years?

I started my journey at Rhythms Kinderworld. It has been a very long and awesome journey at Apeejay. My school defines me as a person. In my 13-14 years of journey, my school and I have grown simultaneously. From the principal ma’am to the teachers, each member of the Apeejay family was extremely supportive and caring.

I have learnt my basic values from my school and my parents. My school taught me how to be brave and persistent in the face of all adversities. I learnt values like sharing, helping, and so on. Not just academics, I have honed my other skills as well through extra-curricular activities. I would say I have had significant personal growth and my teachers played a very important role in it. It has been an emotional as well as an exciting journey.

Plans for the future?

I am focusing on my Board exam now. I will be preparing for CUET and plan to pursue my graduation in either Psychology or Economics.

Any message for your juniors?

Winning the coveted award is not a far-fetched impossible dream. Believe in yourself and go with the flow. It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose but remember your passion and grit can make you achieve whatever you want.