Story Of Risana & Ramseena - First In Family To Pursue Higher Studies

Ramseena and Risana Rasheed from Kerala's Kasargod were born into a family where 'higher education' was nothing more than a phrase. The twin sisters' father was an auto driver and the family struggled to make ends meet. Growing up, they struggled with a constant fear of being married off at a young age. Their father faced pressure to save up for their marriage right from their childhood. However, the sisters proved that being a daughter is not a liability but an asset to the family. They went on to score brilliant marks in school and then grabbed seats at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology. Risana clinched a bachelor's degree in technology from Roorkee while Ramseena pursued a bachelor's and master's in aerospace.

Hear Risana & Ramseena's Story From Them

The twin sisters are now working at reputed firms in Bengaluru, not only living their best lives but also making their family proud. Now, they are also passionately advocating for women's education in their village in Kerala, proving that their achievement is not a farfetched dream but a story of motivation for all aspiring girls out there.

"We were born in Kasargod, a small village in Kerala, into a minority Muslim family. Our father worked as a rickshaw driver, and my family had no history of higher education. My twin sister and I were the first in our family to pursue higher studies. Growing up, I faced many instances of child marriage within my family and community. 

When my sister and I were born, my father faced criticism and pressure to save for our future marriages, a common practice involving giving gold dowries in Kerala. Despite all constraints, our parents ensured that we received an English medium education. We consistently topped our classes, earning recognition in both our school and district.

Our dad once expressed his wish for us to score 100% and we made his words our life goal. As a result of our dedication, we became the first students in our district to score a perfect 10 CGPA in the 12th Standard. 

Also, our mother instead of burdening us with household chores, wholeheartedly supported our academic pursuits.

In 2016, we both successfully passed both medical and engineering entrance exams with top scores. However, our passion leaned towards cracking the JEE Advanced exam, driven by our love for physics and math.

So we began preparing for the IIT entrance. In 2017, we cracked the JEE Advanced exam, with me securing an All India Rank of 4185 and my sister getting 9000. I pursued electrical engineering at IIT Roorkee, while my sister pursued aerospace engineering at IIT Kharagpur.

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During my academic journey, I interned at Amazon as a software engineer. I graduated in 2021, and my sister graduated in 2022. We received numerous job offers from prominent companies in 2021.

We also try to promote women's education in our village. We provide career guidance and counselling and collaborate with NGOs to empower women to pursue higher education. Despite facing criticism from relatives who doubted our ability to find suitable partners due to our extensive education, we both married the love of our lives, breaking the stereotypes.”