Inspired by Grey’s Anatomy, Panaji girl eyes AIIMS Delhi after securing 24th all-India rank

Panaji: For some time now, Panaji resident Anushka Kulkarni has been a fan of the series about doctors and surgical interns, Grey’s Anatomy. The teen is now a step closer to donning the scrubs herself.
At the results of the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) that were declared last week, Anushka has bagged an all-India rank of 24, scoring 705 out of 720 at the examination. Her rank is the best known all-India standing ever for a student in Goa at NEET.
The student of the institute Dempo-PACE, Miramar, is also among eleven top female scorers at NEET (UG) 2022.
Her next stop, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.
“My paternal uncle is a spine surgeon and paternal aunt is a paediatrician, and that got me interested in medicine,” said Anushka.
“She had been watching Grey’s Anatomy on an OTT platform and that seems to have also triggered a spark in her,” said her mother Veena, who has an educational background in pharma but currently works as a banker. Anushka’s father Anand is a mechanical engineer.
“Though it is too early to say. Mostly I would like to pursue a career in neurosurgery,” said Anushka, who also likes to play football, badminton and read novels, for which she would find time even through her tight study schedule.
Though Anushka’s family were certain that she would crack the NEET with a good score, it was a nervous wait on September 7, as the National Testing Agency finally declared the results at 11.30pm.
“Right from her childhood, Anushka has been a bright student and almost a topper throughout. She did exceptionally well in Class X and XII as well, where she scored 96% and 96.2%, respectively,” said her mother.
It is in Class X that Anushka realised she is more inclined towards biology.
“I was part of the Dempo-PACE foundation course in Class IX and X, which helped make my basics very strong. My teachers at Dempo-PACE were very good and even during Covid they made sure the classes were very systematic. They kept us motivated. They made sure not just to give us homework, but also to keep track that we did it and discussed it,” said Anushka, for whom the higher secondary programme integrated with her coaching to crack NEET would end as late as 6pm on some days.
“Even though school itself was very intensive, I would study for two to four hours every day after the classes and during holidays I would try to do even more,” said the student.
Principal of Dempo-PACE, Rupa Khope, could not be prouder.
“Even up to July, we ensured that we cleared any doubts she had. Anushka’s achievement as a 24th all India ranker at NEET is a great achievement not just for her, her family and the institute, but for the state of Goa. Everyone of us should be proud of her as Goans,” said Khope.
Anushka feels that her family and teachers’ support was vital in her success.
“My whole family supported me very well too. I saw the amount of dedication each of them puts in their own respective professions and the whole atmosphere was there at home, which inspired me,” Anushka said.
She kept a full score, 720, in sight when answering NEET to help her secure the best possible marks.
“We only gave the necessary direction and resources. Besides, Dempo-PACE, we enrolled her for training at Aakash as well. We told Anushka to keep the right aim and that everything will fall in place. She kept 720 marks as her aim. She was always a self-motivated child,” said Veena.