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RANCHI: Even with a busy schedule of playing eight to nine tournaments every year as an amateur golfer , Marshneil Prasad has not let studies slip.

A student of Sacred Heart Convent School , Jamshedpur, Marshneil has added yet another feather to her cap by topping the Indian School Certificate (ISC) examination (Class XII) for the science stream in the state. She scored 99% in the examination, the results of which were declared by the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Tuesday. Rishav Kumar of Motilal Public School, Jamshedpur, also joined her at the top science spot of the state with the same marks.

Speaking to TOI, a jubilant Marshneil said: “I am very happy with my results and I thank my school for the support it has provided to me over the years. I started playing amateur golf since Class VII. Becoming active in the sport of my choice actually helped me focus on my studies. I play in the Lady’s Amateur Circuit in tournaments organized by the Indian Golf Association and I plan to continue playing as I pursue engineering simultaneously.”

“Since I wanted to go to a college that has a great engineering programme and an infrastructure besides pursuing golfing as a career, I have applied to many foreign schools. I have been accepted into two Ivy League institutions — Miami University and Louisiana State University,” added the Jamshedpur girl.

Another Steel City student, Shristi Vaidya of Loyola School, Jamshedpur, became the state topper in the arts stream with 99.75% marks while Shaivi Goyal from Carmel School, Digwadih, Dhanbad became the commerce topper with the same marks.

“Choosing to pursue arts was a sort of rebellion for me as everyone else in my family is a science student. My inspiration is IAS topper Tina Dabi and it is because of her that I opted for arts in the first place. I want to complete civil services and for graduation, my first choice will be economics from Lady Sri Ram College,” Shristi said.

In all, 4,824 students wrote the ISC exam from Jharkhand and secured a pass percentage of 95.98%. The pass percentage of girls stands at 97.12%, slightly higher than boys which is at 94.88%.

Along with the Class XII results, CISCE also declared the results for Indian School Certificate Examination (ICSE) (Class X) with three students tying for the top spot at 99% marks. Sarthak Singh from St Francis School, Jasidih; Vedika Chandra from Gulmohar High School, Jamshedpur; and Sonak Banerjee from Kerala Samajam Model School, Jamshedpur, jointly shared the top spot.

“I spent a considerable amount of time streamlining my studies. I am preparing for engineering entrance exams and will choose science stream in Plus Two,” Sonak Banerjee said.

For Ranchi, Nandini Choudhary of Loreto Convent, Doranda, and Navneet Raj of St Thomas School, Dhurwa jointly became state second rank holders with 98.80% in their kitty.

Talking to TOI, an excited Nandini said, “Both my parents are professors. While one of my elder siblings is a doctor and another is an income tax officer. For me, academic excellence came with hard work and I dedicated myself to studying from the beginning. I would like to get into an IIT and do something different from my family.”

A total of 11,968 students appeared the examination from Jharkhand and secured a pass percentage of 98.55%. This is the first time CISCE will allow the unsuccessful students a second attempt through compartment exams, which will be conducted in the month of July.

