Daughter of an uneducated daily-wage worker, Chand Parveen has secured admission to the University of St Thomas in Minnesota with a scholarship worth about $78,000 annually
MUMBAI — From a cramped settlement in Mumbai to a prestigious university in the United States, Chand Parveen Sheikh’s educational journey is an inspiring story of determination and perseverance.
The daughter of parents who never received formal education, Chand grew up in a family supported by her father’s daily-wage earnings. She began her schooling at a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) school and is now preparing to pursue higher education in the United States after securing admission to the undergraduate programme at the University of St Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
She has also been awarded the Davis Scholarship, worth approximately $78,000 a year for four years. The award amounts to around Rs 65 lakh annually, according to the information provided.
Chand began her education at a BMC school in Mumbai’s Ray Road area, where she passed her Class 10 examination in 2024 with 91 per cent marks.
With guidance and support from the Aakanksha Foundation, she subsequently secured admission to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Mahindra United World College in Pune. The two-year pre-university programme, which attracts students aged 16 to 19 from more than 150 countries, also provided her with a scholarship worth Rs 50 lakh.
During the programme, Chand studied History, Economics and English at Higher Level, alongside Environmental Systems and Societies, Mathematics and Hindi.
Speaking to the media, she said the foundation’s guidance had played an important role in her educational journey. She said she had applied to five universities in the United States and had been selected by all five.
“Alhamdulillah, I was selected by all five universities. However, I decided to choose the undergraduate programme at the University of St Thomas because it is a well-known university,” she said.
At the university, Chand will pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations, Economics and Politics.
Beyond her academic achievements, she has also demonstrated an interest in creative writing. At the age of nine, she wrote a novel titled Stolen Childhood, using unused pages collected from old notebooks available at home. The novel addresses poverty, child labour and the difficulties faced by children living in Mumbai’s slum settlements.
Reflecting on her family’s contribution to her success, Chand said her parents’ sacrifices had made her education possible.
“My parents are uneducated. My mother paid special attention to our education, while my father worked hard to support the family and ensure that my siblings and I received an education,” she said.
Her family originally belongs to Supaul district in Bihar. Chand currently lives with her parents in a slum settlement in the Colaba Bandar-Darukhana area of Mumbai.
Her journey from a municipal school to an international university, supported by scholarships at successive stages of her education, highlights the opportunities that can emerge when determination is accompanied by sustained educational support.
