‘Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful,’ said the Alsatian polymath, Albert Schweitzer. This quote by him emphasises the importance of passion in achieving success. Truly, as CBSE students pour their hearts into their studies, they are not merely chasing grades, but are driven by their love for learning and growth.
Every year, thousands of students from across the country gear up to face the challenging CBSE exams, armed with nothing but their determination and perseverance. The stories of these students exemplify the power of grit and serve as an inspiration to many. Let’s hear from the academic achievers from Apeejay School, Saket in New Delhi.
It takes kith and kin
Dhananjay Sharma, a Science topper bagged 97.8% in the said examinations. What more? He secured a perfect 100/100 in Mathematics. But this journey of growth was not smooth like butter. It consisted of challenges, which Sharma beautifully fought and overcame. He says, “As there was a change in the mode of learning from online to offline post-Covid-19, my body could not cope up with the tiredness and exhaustion of physical schooling. I often felt weighed down because I had to attend my coaching classes too after school. So, the weekdays were very hectic. Gradually, I worked on myself and began to enjoy the lessons at school. Moreover, teachers in the classroom were very encouraging. I was lucky to have them.”
The talented student is currently preparing for JEE Advanced examinations. For his success at Boards, he credits his school teachers for subjects like Chemistry and Physics. “They have taught me everything. Moreover, I learnt how to be knowledgeable and down-to-earth at the same time from my educators.”
Further, Sharma spoke about the role of his mother, “an inspiring figure for me”, he says. “She is a single, working parent who lives in Uttar Pradesh due to her job. Often, she doesn’t tell me about her personal challenges, but I know that she has done so much for me. In the future, she wishes to travel the world, therefore, I want to make myself successful to fulfill all her aspirations.” The student’s aim is to get into one of the prestigious institutes of the country to become an engineer.
Sharing his advice for juniors, Sharma says, “For Inorganic Chemistry, understand the logic behind everything. Attempt to know the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ so that you don’t fall short on knowledge while writing the exam.”
Consistency is key
According to Arushi Chhabra, the Commerce topper of the school who secured 97.4% in the exam, “My weak subject was Accountancy while I like Mathematics the most. To attain this percentage, I took the classes at school very seriously. In my view, consistency is the key. Besides, time management plays an important role in the journey.” She made a to-do list and kept ticking off the tasks she had accomplished during her Board preparations. “I give credit to a long-list of people, foremost being my educators and parents. They helped me shine and achieve my goals,” she says.
An important tip shared by Chhabra on how to tackle critical-thinking oriented questions is to stay updated with general knowledge. She wrote many answers in the exam by linking them with real-life examples. At present, the student is preparing for CUET entrances and targeting the B.Com (H) course as next steps. Lastly, her elder sister, Himanshi she named as her role model. “She motivated and guided me throughout,” says the achiever.
Don’t miss out
Sudhanshu Kumar, another Commerce student of the school, stood tall with 97% and got 100/100 in Mathematics. He loved to learn subjects such as Mathematics and Accountancy, while sample papers were crucial to him during his preparation. Interestingly, Kumar was also the Vice-President of the Interact Club of the school and aced extracurriculars with academics in the past year. Sharing his learnings with others, he said, “Don’t postpone studies for another day. Keep a track of it and go with the flow. Ensure not to have any backlog.”
Currently, he too is gearing up for the CUET entrance examinations. He hopes to crack the Chartered Accountant (CA) exams too after his CA-father. “I want to thank all my teachers for supporting me. They made me believe that I can do well!”
“Success is destined to be achieved…for the hard work and perseverance are the precursors!”
-DR SUJEET ERIC MASIH, PRINCIPAL, APEEJAY SCHOOL, SAKET