Lautoka Andhra Sangam's Shah honoured as Dux, eyes career in medicine

Mahira Shah, the head girl of Lautoka Andhra Sangam College, received the Dux award along with several excellence awards during the school’s graduation ceremony last week.

Her ambition is to become a doctor and serve underserved communities, improving access to healthcare while promoting environmental protection.

To achieve this, Shah plans to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree at the Fiji National University.

Shah has consistently demonstrated academic excellence, earning the Dux awards at Year 11 and 12 levels.

She achieved an impressive 376 out of 400 in her Year 13 annual examination and 373 out of 400 in the Fiji Year 12 Certificate examination.

“It was an amazing journey this year, but also a tough one since a lot of extracurricular activities were involved. I managed to balance my studies well,” she said.

She admitted that procrastination was a challenge, particularly after periods away due to extracurricular commitments.

“I overcame it by catching up on my studies every day using different methods to achieve excellence,” she said.

Shah credits her success to Almighty God and the support of her parents.

“My parents have always guided me and made countless sacrifices for me to achieve this award. They constantly assured me to believe in myself,” she said.

Mother Nazmin Shah, Head of Department of Agricultural Science at the school, expressed immense pride in her daughter. “She sacrificed a lot to accomplish her childhood dream. It was not an easy task, but with the blessings of Almighty Lord, it was possible,” Ms Shah said.

In addition to the Dux award, Mahira Shah received numerous other accolades, including:

• 1st Runner-Up Certificate for Soroptimist Women’s Day Contest
• Meritorious awards for winning the Oratory Contest and being part of the National Chemistry Battle Finalists
• Certificate of participation as part of the Chemistry Battle Finalists team
• Duke of Edinburgh Gold Programme Award
• School Head Girl Certificate
• Best Student Awards in English, Biology, Chemistry, and Pure Mathematics