Mangaluru:In an extraordinary story of courage and determination, Disha, a student of Alva’s College in Moodbidri, has emerged as the state topper in the Commerce stream of the Second PUC examinations—despite losing her mother in the middle of her exams. A Commerce stream student from Moodbidri, Disha secured the first rank in the state by scoring a perfect 600 out of 600 marks. Alva’s PU College authorities and lecturers congratulated Disha on her outstanding achievement. Disha, daughter of Dinesh and Savita from Puttige Padavu near Vidyagiri, was preparing for her board examinations when tragedy struck. Her mother suffered a sudden fall on the eve of her Mathematics exam and passed away just a day before her Economics paper.

Even as she grappled with profound grief, Disha chose to continue writing her exams, refusing to let the setback derail years of hard work. Her disciplined preparation played a crucial role. She had been waking up as early as 3.30 am daily to study and had completed her syllabus well in advance through rigorous internal assessments conducted by her college. In her darkest hour, support came from her lecturer Veena, who not only comforted her but also provided her a place to stay, ensuring she could attend the examinations without interruption.

“I was slightly worried about scoring full marks in English, but my teachers’ guidance helped me overcome that,” Disha said. She credits the student-friendly teaching approach, timely syllabus completion, and continuous evaluation system at her college for her success.