Underprivileged girl wins trip to NASA | Fusion - WeRIndia

K Jayalakshmi is studying class 11 in Puddukkottai. She won an online competition conducted by Go4Guru and will be visiting National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in May next year.

Born in a poor family, Jayalakshmi takes tuition classes to class 8 and 9 students. She is the sole breadwinner of her family.

She also sells cashews to meet her family needs. Her mother was estranged by her father.

She looks after her younger brother and mentally challenged mother.

She got an opportunity to visit NASA as she is one of the few winners of the competition held by Go4Guru.

She will be interacting with astronauts. She will also explore other places like Disney World.

She has met the district Collector to help meet her travel expenses to NASA.

Jayalakshmi read the news article about the competition when she was practicing for a caroms match. She saw a newspaper lying by the side of the caroms board. She read the story of Dhaanya Thasnem who won a chance to go to NASA.

She immediately registered for the exam and practiced well. The girl who studied in Tamil medium took English coaching for a month before participating in the competition.

She scored ‘Grade 2’ and remained the best performer in the competition.

Jalaylakshmi is a brilliant student. She won several prizes and scholarships including National Means Cum-Merit Scholarship for her talent.

But, she felt that winning in the online competition is different. She is eagerly waiting to meet the astronauts.

However, she needs ₹1.70 lakh for the NASA trip. She even does not have a passport. She obtained it with the support of her teachers and students.

She sought the Collector’s help to meet the trip expenses. Studying in a government school, she wants to inspire government school students with her success. She aims to make rockets.

Image Reference: Indiatimes