Story highlights At 17, Sonali Mukherjee's life changed in a instant when three men threw acid on her

The acid melted her eyes, eyelids, nose, lips, scalp and chest

Ten years and 27 surgeries later she is still fighting for justice

The men who scarred her for life were freed after just two years in jail

New Delhi (CNN) At 17, Sonali Mukherjee had everything going for her. She was a beautiful, intelligent and ambitious young woman, dedicated to excelling in her studies.

She was president of the Student Union, captain of the National Cadet Corps and an honor student set to pursue a PhD in sociology despite her modest family background -- her father used to work as a security guard in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand and her mother was a housewife.

"I had seen my parents struggle for the most basic things, so I strived to achieve something big so that I could give my family a better life," she said.

However, Mukherjee's life changed after three male students from her college started harassing her. She didn't respond to their advances, so they threatened to destroy her.

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At first, she wasn't intimidated. During her time in the cadet corps, an organization in all schools and colleges in India aimed at grooming students to join the military, Mukherjee had won several prizes for her shooting skills.

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