Three White Coats and Many More

Born in forest settlements, raised by a daily-wage labourer, a rubber tapper and a village

assistant, three girls now carry the hopes of their villages into medical college.

Chollanavayal, a small tribal settlement in Ranni, has never had a doctor. When people fall ill, they travel to a neighbouring settlement or to the Ranni taluk hospital. This year, a girl from the settlement has won the seat that could change this.

Ashwathimol K. P., a student of Collector’s Super 100, has secured admission to MBBS at Government Medical College, Ernakulam. She will be the first person from her settlement to become a doctor. She decided on this path in Class 10, when she watched an aunt suffer from cancer. Her first attempt in 2025 did not succeed, but this year she earned Rank 19 among Scheduled Tribe candidates in Keralam, which finally won her the seat. Two of her batchmates have also entered the medical stream.

Midhula, from Cheruppani settlement in Tholikkode panchayat, passed on her first attempt with ST Rank 51 and joined MBBS at SUT Academy of Medical Sciences, Vattappara. Bhadra Santhosh secured ST Rank 102 and joined Government Ayurveda Medical College, Thripunithura. These three medical seats are only part of this year’s result. Two girls have secured engineering seats, two have joined B.Pharm, and three have taken up B.Sc Nursing. Two are studying Integrated MCA, one has chosen a pure science degree, and one has taken B.Sc Psychology. Another girl has qualified in allied sciences and is waiting for admission. In all, fifteen girls have found a place in higher education, and nine more are preparing to write NEET again.

Collector’s Super 100 is run by the Thiruvananthapuram district administration with Kanal Innovations Charitable Trust under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative, with the CSR support of Trenser Technology Solutions (P) Ltd. Each year, it selects girls from Classes 9 to 12 from tribal, coastal, Scheduled Caste, and economically weaker families.