Like most students, Mallika had big dreams growing up! Coming from a quaint village in Nagaland's Kohima district, she initially dreamed of becoming a lawyer, a profession she believed would bring the respect and social standing that had so far been beyond her family's reach.

That vision changed into something much bigger after she visited a nearby hospital and met patients who needed geriatric care. She was appalled by their struggles and immediately decided that she wanted to help ease their pain. Driven by a desire to bring good-quality medical care to the elderly, Mallika realised that her real calling lay in caring for the sick. What began as a childhood dream of creating a better future for herself grew into a commitment to improving the lives of others.

That determination, combined with the realities of her family's struggle to make ends meet, made it clear that a career in medicine would need more accessible resources. Her selection for the residential JNV Kohima, and access to Avanti's free, expert NEET coaching, could not have come at a better time. Competing in one of the toughest exams in the country was not easy. "I am really grateful to Avanti for providing me with every help during my prep for NEET. The immense effort of my teachers really motivated me to stay on course," she says.

Her dedicated preparation was fuelled by the support of her teachers and mentors at Avanti. "Avanti classes really helped me to revise the topics and understand the concepts better during my prep." She particularly credits her Physics tutor, Mr Gaurav, for helping her prepare steadily for mock tests.

Mallika is indebted to her parents for their unwavering motivation and for giving her the freedom to choose her career and the path towards it. Despite meagre earnings, with her father a small-scale farmer and her mother working at the local anganwadi, her parents never pressured her.

With a NEET score of 434, Mallika has secured a seat at Agartala Government Medical College. Coming from a predominantly agrarian community, her success is a turning point not just for Mallika but for the younger generation in her village.