Student ambassador for ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ aces CBSE Board exam

The celebrated American author Robert Collier once said, ‘Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.’ Rightly so, as Apeejay School Faridabad, Sector 15, renowned for its commitment to academic excellence and holistic education, has once again achieved remarkable success in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations.

The school showcased outstanding performance of students, who secured top positions and accolades in the recent CBSE Class 12 Board exams. Here’s how they made it big.

A tradition of excellence

Bhavya Mittal secured 97.8 % in the exam and has emerged as the school topper. “I had the Commerce stream. I am satisfied with my result and my parents, teachers are proud of me.” Her goal is to pursue a degree in Economics in the near future, after which, she may continue her educational journey and seek a Management degree in Finance.

Mittal belongs to a business-oriented family. “None of my family members ever opted for any other stream than Commerce. So, I simply continued the tradition. Besides, I have keen interest in these subjects.” A crucial thing highlighted by her is the power of self-motivation during the exams. In addition, she mentioned the role of her support system i.e. family and relatives who fuelled the fire in her. The talented student further credits her school, teachers and tutors for her success.

When asked how she prepared well for the exam, she says, “I don’t advise shunning social media completely. Use it in moderation.” Interestingly, Mittal looks up to Jacinda Ardern, a New Zealand politician, who served as the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. Ardern’s feminist ideals inspire Mittal and other than academics, she swims and paints too.

Not all about academics

The topper from the Humanities stream, Yashika Khurana, bagged the second highest score with 97.4 %. Her subject combinations were: History, Geography, Political Science, English and Psychology. Out of this, she secured a 100/100 score in Psychology and 98/100 in Geography. The achiever’s favourite subject, however, is Political Science.

But that’s not all! Khurana may seem like a regular student, but she is truly gifted. Apart from academics, she is an International-level Taekwondo athlete as well as a CBSE National Champion in Taekwondo. “I won gold at the National-level Taekwondo championship this January. It has been about 8 years at the sport for me. I see it as a way of life.” She is also the current student brand ambassador of the popular ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao’ campaign launched by the Government of India. Further, Khurana has trained more than 700 girls in self-defense till now in government and private schools.

To be able to manage it all, she credits her school and teachers. “Often I had to miss school due to sports practice. But my teachers made it smooth for me. They helped me with extra classes.” Her simple strategy to rock CBSE exams was to revise the lessons the same day they were taught.

“Near to the exam, I didn’t feel any burden. Plus, the school conducted two Pre-boards, which were very helpful for me. I kept on revising the NCERT textbooks after my teachers’ guidance,” she says. In the next steps, Khurana will appear for CUET entrances. She hopes to pursue a Bachelor’s degree from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, and her career goal is to become a civil servant.

The magic mantra

A Commerce stream student, Devanshi Uppal, scored 97.2 % in the exam, securing the third position in the toppers list. Currently, Uppal is gearing up for a few entrances like CUET and IPMAT. Like the above two toppers, she too followed the NCERT textbooks for her preparation. Further, she credits her mother and teachers for her stellar results. Her mantra for Boards? “Consistency, clarity of concepts and practice. Don’t leave things for the last. Start today,” she says. Notably, to de-stress herself during her preparation, the student often danced it out. She is a Contemporary dancer who loves grooving to the beats of Mi Amor by Sharn.