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Dakshinnaah Paalau aspires to be a medical professional. And she is well on her way to achieving her dream after scoring 42 points out of 45 in the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma examinations last November.
But it has not been easy for the 19-year-old, who is also a budding sprinter. She went through a dark phase when her mother died in 2016.
"I was very close to my mother. She was sick for a while and died soon after. It did take a toll on me," said the Singapore Sports School (SSP) student.
She bounced back with the support of her friends and well-wishers.
"With the help of my former mentor Tan Whee Noi, my family members and friends, I was able to overcome the adversities," she said.
"Ms Tan made me mentally strong and as a result I did well in my school activities.
"I won a bronze in the 100 metres in the Girls' B Division at the Inter-School Track and Field Championships in 2019 and got 42 points in the IB exams. I am proud of my achievements."
Dakshinnaah, who is also an ardent lover of the arts, is multi-talented.
She learnt bharatanatyam till age 12 and has performed at prestigious centres, like the Chidambaram Nataraja temple in Tamil Nadu.
As a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of School Captains, she choreographed and taught the Secondary 1 Orientation dance in 2020.
In recent years, she has been focusing on athletics and studies at SSP.
The school's academic programme is focused on the educational objectives set out by the Ministry of Education.
It strives to nurture champions in both sports and academic pursuits.
Dakshinnaah was among students from Singapore who outperformed their global counterparts at the IB exams last year.
Their average score was 40.6, higher than the global average of 32.37 and the Asia-Pacific average of 37.02.
More than half of the perfect scorers - 133 out of 238 - came from Singapore.
Dakshinnaah has been able to manage her time between studies and athletics training successfully.
"I have been training in the 100 metres and 200 metres for five to six days a week - for at least two hours every day - since Secondary 1," she said. "I enjoy training as it is a form of de-stress for me.
"I am goal-oriented and do not stop until I have succeeded. I make sure that I give my best to everything I do."
"When the IB exams approached, I stopped training for five months. I then studied till late every night and pushed myself as much as possible."
Dakshinnaah's favourite subjects are chemistry and biology.
"I did my extended essay on chemistry titled 'To what extent does different reflux time affect antioxidant activity and total phenolic content in spinach', she said. "During the experiments, I failed several times and changed my research question three times. But with tenacity I finally succeeded in coming up with the right results.
"IB has definitely been a challenging journey but a fulfilling one."
In her free time, Dakshinnaah also tries to contribute to society.
She helped in preparing care packs for migrant workers who were badly hit by Covid-19.
The effort made her realise that migrant workers are confronted by several issues for which they need support and counselling. She has been working to make life better for them.
Dakshinnaah donates $10 from her pocket money every month to the the United Nations' ShareTheMeal fund which is meant for feeding people around the globe.
Last year, Dakshinnaah did not participate in many races as she was injured. She took part in the Singapore Athletics All Comers Meet in April. But the results were not to her satisfaction.
Her future goal is to become a medical researcher or doctor. "When I was young, I wanted to become an athlete as I enjoy the adrenaline rush of running," she said.
"However, after being inspired by different medical practitioners like physiotherapists and my experience with extended essay research, I aspire to become a researcher in the medical field or doctor to help find solutions to new diseases. It aligns more with my purpose in life right now."
She also wants to stay close to her family in Singapore and pursue her tertiary education in a local university.
