UP: Tea Seller’s Daughter Bags Rs 3.8 Crore Scholarship To Top US College

Until last month, UP’s Sudeeksha Bhati was like any other CBSE student awaiting her Class 12 board exam results. But after one of USA’s top colleges granted a scholarship worth Rs. 3.8 crore to her, Bhati has become a beacon of hope for many kids in India.

Her academic excellence did not stop there. Sudeeksha is also CBSE Class XII Bulandshahr district topper with 98% score and is one among 24 other Indians who are set to join Babson College in Massachusetts.

Sudeeksha’s Struggles

Sudeeksha, the daughter of a tea-seller from UP’s Bulandhshahr district knows the pain of dreaming big when the family is barely making ends meet. She is among a few girls in her village lucky enough to receive the education and she is also the first member of her family to complete education till class 12.

According to Times Now, she said that she was expelled from a private school when she was nine years old because her father could not pay the fees. She then went on to take admission in the village primary school.

However, with nothing but sheer hard work and determination, she has been awarded a full scholarship of 70,428 USD per semester which roughly translates to Rs 3.83 crore for the 4-year undergraduate program by Babson College which focuses on entrepreneurship education.

Humble Beginnings

Sudeeksha’s journey is of significance, primarily because of the humble background that she belongs to. Dreaming this big hasn’t been easy, and she told Times Now that the turning point in her career came when she joined VidyaGyan Leadership Academy, a residential school for rural meritorious underprivileged children, in 2011. It was here that she was able to build a strong profile which gradually paved the way for the scholarship.

She attended summer programs like Duke TIP (in India) and Pennsylvania School for Global Entrepreneurship (Lehigh University, USA). Additionally, she was in the school council as Vice-head girl in grade 11th and served her house as Senior Cultural secretary and House Prefect in grade 10th and 9th, reported Times Now.

She scored well on both the SAT and TOEFL exams, which are crucial for admissions at colleges in the US. Bhati then applied to Babson College through Common Application, and after her application was analysed, the college offered admission with Global Scholarship.

Moreover, the teen is also associated with the Voice of Women initiative, an organisation which fights against sexual harassment, and helps families send their daughters to school.

For Sudeeksha, challenges are nothing but opportunities, and it is her optimistic nature that allowed her to live her dream finally.

The Logical Indian Take

We applaud and appreciate Sudeeksha’s success and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours. In rural regions where many parents still don’t value the education of girls, it is amazing and inspiring to see the hard work of Sudeekha, her family, and her school which enabled a tea seller’s daughter to fly so high.