It started with a maths test at school. For Ayesha, then a Class 5 student from Bhakhri village in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district, the Mittsure Mathematics Olympiad was initially just another competition. She took the exam, did well and moved on.Then she kept moving.From the school-level round, Ayesha progressed through the district and state stages before reaching the national level. A final interview in Jaipur brought her face-to-face with a three-member jury. She answered almost all their questions correctly.The reward? A trip to NASA.The 10-year-old Class 6 student of Karmabhoomi Wing School in God Balaha is now among four students from across India selected for an educational visit to NASA in the US. She is expected to travel next month, subject to completion of her passport formalities, according to Jagran. The competition that took her much further than expectedAyesha had entered the mathematics Olympiad while studying in Class 5. Her first test was conducted at the school level, where she secured the top position. That was only the beginning.She subsequently cleared the district, state and national rounds. Her performance eventually earned her a place in the final selection process, which included an interview in Jaipur.There, a three-member jury tested her knowledge across different subjects. Ayesha managed to answer almost all the questions correctly, helping her secure a place among the students chosen for the NASA visit.The scale of the competition was significant. More than one lakh students reportedly registered for the Olympiad, while around 60 students were recognised in different categories. Only four were selected for the NASA educational visit. Ayesha was one of them.
Her family did not expect the maths test to lead here
For her family, the journey was as unexpected as it was exciting. Ayesha’s father, Rajkumar, is a retired Indian Navy personnel. He told Jagran that when she first participated in the Olympiad, the family considered it a regular competition.They watched as she cleared one stage after another. What began as a school examination had turned into a national-level achievement, and eventually an opportunity to travel to the US. Her mother, Snehlata, says Ayesha has always been particularly serious about her studies.The Class 6 student reportedly spends several hours studying after returning from school and attends tuition for around three to four hours. She also helps her family with small household responsibilities. Ayesha is the eldest of three siblings. She has a younger sister, Vanshika, and a younger brother, Reyansh.
Maths first, NASA next
Mathematics is one of Ayesha’s strongest subjects, and her performance in the Olympiad reflects her comfort with the subject. Her school has also celebrated her selection, with teachers and the management welcoming the opportunity for the young student to experience the world of space science beyond textbooks.The other students selected for the NASA visit are Gaurangi Sharma from Rajasthan, and Shubh Jain and Jayprakash Pandey from Madhya Pradesh. For Ayesha, however, the most remarkable part of the story is perhaps how ordinary the beginning was.There was no space mission in sight when she sat for that first maths test in Class 5. There was simply a school examination, a subject she enjoyed and a chance to compete. One round became another. A school-level win became a district-level success, followed by the state and national stages. Then came the interview. And somewhere along that journey, a maths Olympiad stopped being just a competition.
It became her ticket to NASA
At 10, Ayesha is now preparing for a journey that most children her age can only imagine- from her classroom in Haryana to one of the world’s most recognisable names in space exploration.
