Nidhi Kannaujia, the daughter of a washer man, started off as a Prerna Girls’ School student but in 2010, her exceptionally high scores encouraged Dr Urvashi Sahni, president and CEO of Study Hall Educational Foundation to integrate her into Study Hall School where she studied with perhaps some of the best brains in Lucknow.
This year, Nidhi justified the faith shown in her by her teachers and secured 95% marks in Class 12 CBSE exams. She was also selected for Vahani Scholarship which will pay all her educational expenses. The only prerequisite was that she secured 85%.
Nidhi was born and brought up in Lucknow but she belongs to a small village Harakh near Barabanki. Her father migrated to Lucknow nearly 20 years ago in search of a job. She belongs to an economically and socially backward section which is one of the reasons making her more focused and dedicated towards her goals.
She said, “I saw my family situation and always wanted to change this scenario. I wished to be an independent, strong and confident woman who could be the agent of change in society and help the needy.”
She faced many challenges in her life. Adjusting in Study Hall being one of the biggest, since the medium of study changed from Hindi to English.
{{/usCountry}}She faced many challenges in her life. Adjusting in Study Hall being one of the biggest, since the medium of study changed from Hindi to English.
{{/usCountry}}Both of her sisters got married when they were in Class 10, which put an end to their schooling and affected their lives in many different ways. Nidhi said, “I have seen my sisters struggling so this was one factor that helped me to realise the importance of education and drawback of early marriage. I wanted to avoid all these problems and the only tool was good education.”
Nidhi wants to serve the nation. Her aim is to crack the UPSC examination and become an IAS officer. At present, she is aiming at getting admission in Delhi University.