Pravalika has always believed that education is the path to a better life, not just for herself, but also for her family. Living near the Anantapur Sports Village, she spent many afternoons studying on the ground while her mother, Prabhavathi, worked as ground staff preparing the field.
“Every morning, my mother would leave before sunrise to prepare the grounds,” Pravalika shares. “Watching her work hard made me realise how much she gave up for us. I wanted to support her one day.”
This sense of responsibility inspired her to appear for the RDT-CET, a scholarship exam conducted by RDT for students who’ve completed their 10th standard. Through dedication and hard work, she secured second place in the 2015 RDT-CET exam, opening doors to pursue higher education.
However, the transition from a Telugu-medium school to English-medium for her intermediate education posed challenges. “I struggled to understand lessons. My classmates seemed to get everything so easily,” she recalls. Determined not to fall behind, Pravalika spent hours translating her notes and practising English. Her perseverance paid off; by the end of her intermediate education, she was one of the top scorers in her class.
With a passion for learning and a strong desire to create a stable future, she enrolled in B.Tech in Civil Engineering at Andhra Loyola College. But in her first year, she faced a heartbreaking loss: her father passed away. “It was a difficult time, but I looked at my mother, who kept going despite everything. She became my strength.”
After completing her B.Tech, Pravalika qualified for the Post Graduate Common Entrance Test (PGCET) and secured admission at JNTU College in Anantapur for her M.Tech in Civil Engineering. With financial support from RDT, she focused fully on her academics.
While pursuing her M.Tech, she also enrolled in the German language course at RDT’s Professional School of Foreign Languages (PSFL).“Learning German was exciting. It challenged me and gave me a new perspective,” she says. Despite a packed schedule with thesis work and classes, she embraced the experience, adding both technical and linguistic skills to her profile.
“RDT gave me a laptop through PSFL, which also helped me with research and completing my thesis,” she shares.
After graduating, she secured a job at an MNC in Hyderabad, a significant milestone for her and her family.
“I can now support my mother, who’s given everything for me and my brother,” she says. Prabhavathi, who has worked with RDT for over three decades, expresses her pride:
“RDT has always been there for us. I’m proud of how far Pravalika has come.”
Looking to the future, Pravalika remains ambitious. “There’s so much more to achieve; this is just the beginning,” she says with determination. She plans to prepare for competitive exams and continue building a better life for her family.
Text: Namratha Rao
Images : Vasu K
