Rourkela: The daughter of a door-to-door broom seller has topped her school in CHSE’s +2 science examination, scoring an impressive 95.17%. She dreams of becoming a doctor though financial constraints may come in her way.Sanghamitra Sahoo, a student of Govt Higher Secondary School, Rourkela, secured 571 out of 600 marks (first division) in the results declared on Wednesday. A resident of Ram Nagar near Jail Road, she lives with her parents and younger brother.Her father, Madhusudan Sahoo, earns a meagre living selling brooms, while her mother Arundhati is a homemaker. Despite the odds, Sanghamitra has consistently excelled in academics.“I am happy with my results, though I expected higher marks in mathematics,” she said. “I used to study four hours daily and up to 16 hours during exams. My hard work has paid off. I credit my parents, teachers and principal for my success.”Sanghamitra aspires to crack NEET and pursue medicine, but is worried about the cost of coaching. “Coaching is expensive and my father’s income is very limited. I don’t know how I will manage it,” she said, adding that she is not inclined towards engineering despite suggestions to prepare for JEE.She had appeared for NEET this year through self-study, but the exam was cancelled over a paper leak and rescheduled for June 21.Echoing her concerns, her mother said, “We are proud of her achievement, but worried about arranging funds for NEET coaching. We want to support her dream, but our financial condition is a constraint.”If she is unable to pursue medicine, Sanghamitra said she would continue with higher studies in science.
