A perfect score in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) is the dream of any student and an Indian American student in Memphis, Tennessee, has achieved the near-impossible feat.
Apurva Kanneganti scored 36 in the ACT and a 2400 on the SAT, the scores which are rarely achieved. She is currently enrolled in Germantown High School’s International Baccalaureate programme in Memphis, Tennessee. Born in Hyderabad, Apurva moved to US when she was just two-years. Her mother, Tirumala Devi Kanneganti is a professor at St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis while her father, Kanneganti Sanjeev Rao is an IT professional. Her mother hails from Kothagudem in Khammam, while father hails from Guntur.
Observers say less than 0.02 percent of students secure the perfect score in their SAT while less than 0.06 percent of the ACT aspirants get a perfect score of 36. “It’s an incredible achievement by any standards, but did not come easily,” she told The Hindu from USA, crediting her parents, who never put pressure on her.
“I love to have fun like any other girl of my age, but yet focussed on education,” said Apurva who plans to become a physician with scholarship offers from top colleges in the USA pouring. Scientific research is one of her great passions. She has interned at various institutes, such as the Broad Institute, the University of Cambridge, UK, and Radboud University, the Netherlands.
A nationally recognised player in Knowledge Bowl and very active in the Indian community programmes, Apurva is presently the president of Telugu Association of Memphis Youth Committee.
The SAT is a globally recognised college admission test that tests knowledge of reading, writing and math.
