Royston Derryl Pinto and Rashmi B. Patil, both from Alva's College in Moodbidri, have secured 588 marks and are among the toppers in the pre-university examinations.
Royston, son of Raymond and Helen Pinto, is a commerce student and secured full marks in Hindi and Statistics. He told The Hindu that he plans to become a chartered accountant and is not keen on joining a regular college for his B.Com. About the media attention he has drawn after his success, he said that he felt like a celebrity. “I have only seen other people on TV. Seeing myself on the screen was a totally different experience,” he said.
Rashmi, daughter of Veerendra and Suvarna Patil, is a science student and secured full marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. She told The Hindu that she plans to become a doctor, which has been a long-cherished dream. “All this adulation is overwhelming and I do not know how to react. I feel very shy to talk to the media,” she said.
Both these toppers did not take any tuition and attributed their success to their alma mater. While Royston said that the high standard of teaching at Alva's College saved him the trouble of seeking additional help, Rashmi pointed out that the college had an adoption programme for meritorious students. “I secured 97 per cent in my 10th standard because of which my entire education at Alva's was free,” she said.
Five colleges in the district — Sri Satya Sai College at Alike, Government College at Mattur, Government College at Pilasabettu, Women's Islamic College at Ullal and the Islahi Women's College at Ullal — have achieved 100 per cent passes.
As many as 28,700 students appeared for the PU examinations from the district and 22,736 of them have passed, making Dakshina Kannada the second most successful district in the State. As many as 2,127 students have passed with distinction.
