Dehradun, June 14, 2023 –Shagun Gahlot, a student of Aakash BYJU’s from Dehradun, is different from many of her peers. She is focused on pursuing research in not-so-explored areas of cancer, and her faith in her positive mindset, stemming from the moral science classes in her school, can be infectious. She belongs to an academic family based in Dehradun and aced NEET UG 2023 scoring 700 out of 720 and obtained an AIR of 320. She also has the distinction of becoming the Uttarakhand State Topper.
Shagun joined Aakash in the city in Class XI for 2 years and is no stranger to competitive examinations – she appeared for Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) and National Standard Examination in Biology (NSEB) and is a state topper in National Standard Examination in Chemistry (NSEC). Her choices are decided by what she likes – Shagun opted for biology in Class XI on her own and finds Botany a logical and easy subject.
Talking about why she chose a medical career, Shagun says, “My father is a professor of pharmaceuticals and science at Sri Guru Ram Rai University, Dehradun, and my mother is a teacher. I’ve always been interested in knowing more about things I like and the scope for research interested me in a medical career. I don’t have one favorite subject, but I like some fields in each subject – for example, electromagnetic induction in Physics, plant physiology in Botany, human health & disease, and biotechnology in Physiology, and organic and physical in Chemistry.”
Her choices were however, not without its own challenges. Managing school, homework, examinations, and activities as per the school curriculum was a huge challenge to manage along with NEET preparations. “Fulfilling the school curriculum has consumed a lot of time in a day. Besides, since I had Physical Education as a subject in school, it required functional exercises such as pushups that many times caused injuries. When I was in Class XI, I was ill for about a week. In February, I fell ill again and lost more than a week’s time due to high fever and heavy weakness but still I made sure to cope up with my studies. Even in such time, I try not miss any class. In fact, I just missed 2 classes in 2 years and not missed any test.”
However, her dedicated and focused nature helped her manage the gaps quickly. Shagun managed not to miss many classes or tests even when she was ill – she took the All India Aakash Test Series (AIATS) examination during this time for which she couldn’t go to the center, and she requested that she take the exam from home.
Speaking about what helped her keep going even in the tough times, Shagun says, “I have been a dedicated student since the beginning, for me, work is religion. Studies and upcoming exams motivated me to push boundaries and overcome low periods. My moral science lessons in school also helped me to get over such times – I used to go back to my lessons that said problems are temporary and inspired me to do better. I have a positive mindset and believe that something good will happen eventually.”
Shagun has a younger sister studying in Class VIII. She attributes much of her success to how her parents supported her and helped her relax. “My parents supported me a lot during these two years and gave me full freedom to choose a career – they didn’t force me to become a teacher. We used to go for a walk after dinner where we used to discuss how the day was for all of us. It helped us to limit discussions around not-so-good things in the day to 15-20 minutes only. They also helped me to relax according to my methods which are different from others. I used to play with younger children in the neighborhood about once a month.”
Shagun wants to see herself doing good research in unexplored aspects of cancer. If not a doctor, becoming a Biotechnology researcher was her plan for an alternative career. Her interests are varied – she is keen to learn about computer science languages and musical instruments alike. Shagun is planning to join a summer camp to learn guitar and violin and is stoked at the opportunity to learn something from the beginning since she has never learnt music before. She is also learning python and C-language in computer sciences in her free time.
Lauding Shagun Gahlot on her excellent NEET score, Mr. Abhishek Maheshwari, CEO, Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), said, “It is our sincere effort to provide students with everything that they may need to excel in such closely competed exams like NEET. Shagun is a focused and hardworking student with a very positive mindset, which helped her remain on the right track and overcome setbacks better. She is a seeker, and I am sure she will do very well when she pursues her research activities. We wish her good luck and success in future.“
On the recently declared results Dr H R Rao, Regional Director, AESL said “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the student for their exceptional accomplishment. Their remarkable achievement as the top scorer is a testament to their tireless hard work and unwavering dedication. We sincerely wish them the very best in all their future endeavors.
We would also like to express our deep appreciation to the faculty at Aakash BYJU’S, who tirelessly supported the student by clearing all their doubts and queries. The effective curriculum provided by Aakash BYJU’S, along with our unwavering commitment to our students, played a crucial role in this success.”
