Pavitra Chinapah became a national viral sensation when news spread that she achieved an outstanding 11A+ in last year’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.
The daughter of an Alam Flora lorry driver, Pavitra cites her father’s struggles to put food on the table as her inspiration, and drove her to “change the luck of her family”.
Speaking to The Rakyat Post‘s Michael Murty, the SMK Convent Kajang student said her father did not make enough money, which motivated her to want to be a “great help” for him in the future.
“He works as an Alam Flora lorry driver in Putrajaya and does not earn much.
“He sometimes has financial problems because he is the sole breadwinner of our family,” she said.
Her excellent SPM results netted her a full Public Service Department scholarship for her pre-university studies. She’s aiming to be a dermatologist.
Despite he family’s financial troubles resulting in her not being able to afford tuition classes, Pavitra nevertheless persevered and dedicated herself to studying for the SPM relentlessly … and early.
“I never believed in last-minute studying. So I started from the beginning of the year,” she explained.
She said she would spend three to five hours every day in the prayer room of her family home to prepare for her exams.
She would also resort to moderating her diet so as to not getting sleepy while she did her daily revisions.
“There were many things I also had to do without. For instance, my friends would have the latest gadgets but I could not afford any of them.”
Pavitra in turn has now become an inspiration to her younger brother, now aged 16, and her one-year old sister.
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