Growing Up at Sumati Balwan
Priya joined Sumati Balwan at the age of eight, one of five siblings in a household where both parents worked as daily-wage labourers. The school gave her not only books but a sense of structure and possibility. Her favourite subject was mathematics — she would spend lunch breaks solving extra problems from a worn textbook she had found in the school library.
A Scholarship Changes Everything
In her final year, Priya was selected for a computer literacy programme run by a corporate volunteer group. When she scored 87% in her 10th board exams, her headmistress helped her apply for a state government merit scholarship that covered a one-year computer applications diploma course.
Life After Sumati Balwan
Where She Is Today
Priya joined Infosys BPO as a data entry executive in 2020 and was promoted to senior associate within eighteen months. She sends a portion of her salary home every month, ensuring her three younger siblings remain in school. She visits Sumati Balwan each year on Foundation Day to speak with senior students about planning for life after school.