Ishika, Who Chases a Bigger Dream

30th Dec 2021

Rooted In, but Not Held Back by Poverty
Around 12 years ago, Ishika walked into an ISC education support class and was enrolled as a 1st standard student. This year, she’ll be appearing for her 12th standard board exams, and the journey has been far from easy. She comes from a poor family with 5 members, who live in the Pandu Laman Vasty slum, close to our Pune office. Her father runs a small grocery shop and her mother, like many others in the area, makes liquor at home to sell it in the slum, which is an illegal and risky business.

Breaking Boundaries for Education
Despite her background, Ishika always displayed a passion for her education. Although her house was a kilometer away from the ISC support class, she walked to the center every day, determined to never let her studies suffer. When she was in the 5th standard, her family wanted her to drop out of school but she persisted and worked even harder to balance her chores at home with school.

Of Dreams for a Better Life
Now, as she prepares to enter the world of higher education, she is as determined as ever to choose her studies over societal expectations such as an early marriage. Today, her biggest dream is to pass the Civil Services Exam and she is confident she’ll crack it, for it is the chance she’s taking for a better life.