BENGALURU: Adversity can often bring out the best in people, goes the adage. This sure seems to be true when it comes to the three outstanding graduates of University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), who between themselves received 24 gold medals.
The convocation of UAS was held at the GKVK campus on Monday and 116 gold medals were awarded. Girls bagged a majority of these awards. A total of 953 students were awarded graduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees. Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda, also the pro-chancellor of UAS, was present.
M Raghuveer (24) was the toast of the occasion, having bagged 11 gold medals — 10 donor’s medals and one campus gold medal. He, however, seemed unfazed by the limelight. He said he had hoped for only the campus medal. With an overall GPA (grade point average) of 9.14, the BSc graduate and son of a farmer from Kolegal taluk had to battle the odds. He was the first one from his village to study agriculture and had to take a loan to fund his education. “In the entrance exam for masters in agriculture, I got an all-India rank of 18. I will now pursue MSc in genetics and plant breeding in Dharwad,” he said. Unfortunately, while Raghuveer succeeded in his efforts, he lost his father in January.
Preethi M (23) had to overcome problems of a different kind to achieve six gold medals. “I have been afflicted with a thyroid condition since Class 4. The condition became a major problem during Class 10 and 12 exams. My weight increased manifolds.” After she began a BSc course at UAS, her condition deteriorated and she weighed over 100kg. She was then forced to begin an exhaustive treatment that lasted two years. Preethi plans to do research in virology after completing MSc.
While many students were pleasantly surprised by the awards, Arathi B expected them as “she was always on top of her class and was consistent in her studies”. But it was not easy for Arathi either. She dedicated time for her husband and her child while pursuing her studies. “I married very early and was pregnant during the first semester of graduation itself. But I never missed any lecture even during my pregnancy,” she said. Arathi pursued civil services and had worked as a tahsildar, prior to joining MSc at UAS. She now wants to continue in the field of administration.