After getting briefed about NASA’s International Space Settlement contest and its requirements by her maths teacher, Kalpesh Makawana, Shreya began work on the project named after chapter 19 of the Book of Revelations of the Old Testament, which prophecies the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to establish a new terrestrial kingdom.
“Conceptualising and writing the project report wouldn’t have been possible without the great support I received from my teachers and parents,’’ acknowledges Shreya, daughter of R.K. Singh, an HR professional with Maharashtra Seamless Ltd, a division of the D.P. Jindal Group and his wife Renu, a homemaker. As winner of the NASA award, Shreya was invited to the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) held in Washington DC between May 24-28 this year.
Shreya’s achievement has generated great excitement in village Nagothane (pop. 10,168) and in Raigad district which typically suffers backward and inadequate infrastructure. “I hope this is a stepping stone and Shreya continues to remain motivated in school and succeeds. Talent is not restricted to urban locales; it is everywhere and we are proving it,” says Urban D’Souza, principal, JMLZ-N (student strength 150).
Though the NASA award has won her plaudits and media headlines, this youngster has won several other awards at inter-school levels. Moreover she is a budding badminton player, and an avid reader of books and encyclopedias. An admirer of the great scientist Albert Einstein, Shreya reveres him as a role model.
Go girl!
Praveer Sinha (Mumbai)