Neha Naz with her parents in Patna City on Friday. Picture by Sachin

Poverty cannot prevent someone from reaching the top. Four students from Patna City have proved this with their outstanding grades in the CBSE Class X exam results.

Neha Naz, Manisha Rani, Avinash Kumar and Rohit Jaiswal, who belong to the economically weaker sections of society, have all scored above 9.5 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) in the results declared on Thursday.

CGPA is the overall assessment of a student’s performance in Class X.

Neha Naz has secured 9.8 CGPA out of 10, Manisha Rani has achieved 9.6 CGPA, Avinash Kumar has scored 9. 8 and Rohit Jaiswal has gained 9.6 CGPA.

Neha, daughter of Mohammad Shorab, a driver at Malsalami Thana, is on cloud nine ever since she saw her results. “I am very happy with my result. I did not expect to do so well. I want to crack the UPSC examination and join the Indian Administrative Service. This result has helped me inch a few steps towards my dream,” said an elated Neha.

About her preparations, Neha said: “I used to study for six to seven hours daily. I always took out some time for my hobbies —singing and painting. Extra-curricular activities help to reduce stress and it worked for me during my preparation,” said Naz, a student of St Anne’s School.

Rohit Jaiswal’s father Prabhat Kumar Jaiswal sells mineral water on his bicycle. “My monthly income is around Rs 3,500. Still, I spent Rs 500 on Rohit’s coaching every month. It was very difficult for me to bear the expenses of Rohit’s education but today I feel my hard work has paid off. I am really proud of my son,” said Prabhat.

“My next aim is to crack IIT-JEE,” said Rohit, a student of Avian English School.

Manisha Rani, daughter of Sanjay Prasad who owns a cycle repair shop in Patna City, credited her maternal grandfather for her success.

“I owe my success to my grandpa Jangbahadur Lal, a retired school principal. My father’s financial condition is not very sound. My grandfather kept me with him and funded my education. What I am today is all because of him,” said Manisha, a student of Krishna Niketan.

Avinash Kumar, whose father Baijnath Prasad is a clerk in a government school, is very happy with his grades. About his next goal, he said: “I want to crack IIT-JEE.”