Above: A jubilant father greets his top-scholar daughter.
People
Navneet Kaur Natt: A perfect 100% Score at School
by KRISTIN RUSHOWY
Sikh-Canadian Navneet Kaur Natt never thought she could score a perfect average of 100 per cent.
The Peel District School Board student is among 13 in Greater Toronto who are at the top of their class, graduating with impressive averages while also volunteering or holding down a part-time job - and managing to squeeze in a social life, too.
“I never thought it could actually happen,” said Navneet, who tied for top spot in the Peel public board.
She remembers reading about a student from her school, Brampton’s Turner Fenton secondary, who was the board’s top scholar with a 100 per cent average - something that happened in 2009 and 2010.
“After hearing that I thought: ‘Wow! I wish I could do that as well.’ ”
Navneet's parents, who immigrated to Canada from Punjab, left their homeland to give her a better life, something she said was always in her mind. Both parents worked in the medical field in India; her father, Balbir Singh Natt, is a cab driver here.
Navneet, who is going to McMaster University in the fall, hopes to go on to medical school.
“I appreciate what [my parents] did for me,” she said. “They sacrificed so much; they had a great life in [Punjab] but left so that I could have a good education. It made me realize that I shouldn’t take it for granted, and it made me work that much harder . . . so their sacrifices weren’t in vain.”
For Tony Pontes, Director of Education for the Peel District School Board, such academic achievement - Navneet was in the enriched International Baccalaureate program - is impressive.
“(It) requires an extremely high level of commitment and determination,” said Pontes. Referring to the two students from his Board who reached the top, he continued: “. . . Not only are their accomplishments a testament to their hard work and abilities, they’re also a source of pride for our staff.”
MORE ON NAVNEET
Age: 18
School: Turner Fenton, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Marks: 100 per cent in Chemistry, Economics, Biology, Functions, Calculus, French
Homework: 3 hours daily
Extracurriculars: Rugby team, track (cross-country), student council, Culturefest Club, hospital volunteer
Social life: “Hang out with friends; on the weekends go to movies, or have slumber parties and stuff like that.”
Facebook: “I might be doing homework when I get distracted here and there and go on Facebook.”
Academic drive: “I have a genuine passion, I want to learn more. I would go out of my way, ask teachers questions, do additional research.”
Quirk: “I procrastinate, leave things to the last minute but at the end I am able to pull my act together.”
This fall: McMaster University, Health Sciences
[Courtesy: The Toronto Star. Edited for sikhchic.com]
August 17, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Arvinder (U.S.A.), August 17, 2011, 6:28 PM.
Congratulations, Navneet. And good luck for your future.
2: Ravinder Singh (Westerville, Ohio, U.S.A.), August 17, 2011, 6:47 PM.
Congratulations, Navneet.
3: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), August 17, 2011, 8:00 PM.
Well done, Navneet, for the perfect score. Keep thy wagon hitched to the star. You do all Sikhs proud.
4: Baljit Singh Rihal, JP (London, United Kingdom), August 18, 2011, 9:49 AM.
Well done, Navneet!
5: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), August 18, 2011, 1:53 PM.
In all the surveys done here in the Unite Kingdom, Sikh females come on the top in academia. I remember at Middle School, a 'Balbir Kaur' was the top-student. So, no surprises here for me. What we need next is Sikh Females as leaders in this world ... Guru Nanak has exalted all of you!
6: Simran Gupta (Kolkata, Bengal, India), August 29, 2011, 11:02 PM.
Bravo! So proud of you, Navneet.
7: Harriet Natt (Cape Town, South Africa), October 12, 2017, 2:00 PM.
Share with me your strategy, please. I'm aspiring to become like you. I am currently in Grade 11.