At just 17, Kethavath Sravanthi is setting an inspiring example of resilience and ambition. The Telangana student has scored 994 out of 1,000 in her Class 12 Intermediate Board exams — and is now setting her sights on India’s top engineering institutes, the IITs.
She is the daughter of a truck driver and a fruit vendor in Devarakonda, and hopes to be the first in her entire extended family to ever enter an IIT.
Education Amid Hardship
- Sravanthi was initially enrolled in a private school.
- But due to financial challenges, her parents shifted her to a tribal welfare school in Class 5.
- She is currently a student of the Centre of Excellence, Parigi, under the Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Society (TGTWREIS).
Cracking JEE Is Her Next Goal
- She has already qualified for JEE Advanced, scoring 79 percentile in JEE Mains.
- Sravanthi has yet to decide which engineering branch to pursue, but her only focus is on entering an IIT.
- “If I get in, I’ll be the first in my family to study at such an institute,” she says.
Family’s Financial Struggles Continue
- Sravanthi’s father, who used to drive an auto-rickshaw, became a truck driver only recently.
- Her family gave up cotton farming on their 2-acre land due to lack of money and resources.
- “Even my brother gave his second-year Inter exams this year,” she notes, highlighting the double financial pressure on her parents.
- “We survive on meagre incomes. All I want is to study hard, get a good job, and give my parents a comfortable life,” Sravanthi said.
Why Her Story Matters
In a time when access to quality education still eludes many in rural India, Sravanthi’s achievement is a testament to grit, opportunity, and public schooling systems that nurture potential. With just one more hurdle left — JEE Advanced — this determined teenager could soon rewrite her family’s future.
Financial Background:
- Used to study in private school; shifted due to money issues
- Father switched to truck driving post-COVID
- Family had to stop cultivating cotton due to lack of funds
- Brother also appeared for Inter exams this year
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Quote: “All I want to do is study well, get a high-paying job, and give my parents the life they deserve.”