Imagine being a young boy with a big dream, one that you’ve had for a long time. Then imagine that after years of hard work and dedication, as a teenager, you are now smart and capable enough to achieve it. Except that, on this last leg of your journey, fate is not on your side.
This was the reality for seventeen-year-old Santosh from India. Santosh had always believed in aiming high. He had big dreams of being a doctor – helping his community, making a good name for himself and his family, and being able to support his parents later in life. Ever since he was a child, Santosh has been dedicated to his studies, getting straight As in all of his subjects and ranking first in his class.
However, Santosh comes from a poor family. His parents have been very supportive of their children’s education and dreams. But their jobs as second-hand clothes sellers means that they’ve always struggled to make ends meet. They were able to get both of their sons through high school, but that in itself was a struggle. So when it was time for Santosh to go to college, they had no way to help. Getting their son into a medical college was like trying to land on the moon without a spacecraft.
Despite his difficulties, Santosh studied day and night to get to the top of his class. He did not let his financial hurdles sway him away from his dreams. At the end of his school career, the only thing standing between him and his dreams was going to college. But since his parents did not have enough money to support Santosh’s college plans, and Santosh himself was not eligible to get an education loan, he had to put his dreams on hold.
As they say, all’s well that ends well. Through a stroke of luck, Pockets of Promise came to know of Santosh’s plight through a volunteer, Sheeba. Through the help of generous donors, Santosh is now getting financial support to pursue his degree and is thrilled that his dreams are becoming a reality. The support that Pockets of Promise gives him also ensures that his family still has a good quality of life.
There was a time when Santosh’s dreams would have seemed too idealistic to come to fruition. But his perseverance, determination, and help from unlikely places proved him right in the end.
