Suganthi M.’s mother describes her daughter as someone who is dedicated to her studies.

“She doesn’t need anything else. Give her a book and ask her to study, and she’ll do it with no comments. She has always been this way,” M. Sathya said.

Suganthi scored 496 out of 500 in the SSLC exams — one of the highest marks in Chennai — the results of which were announced on Wednesday.

A student of Government Girls Model Higher Secondary School, Ashok Nagar, she credits her success to her teachers and parents.

“I am so happy that I could achieve this mark. I worked hard for it and knew I would get somewhere around 495. I studied with a single-minded focus to achieve the best mark possible,” she said.

With only the extra classes and her teachers to depend upon, Suganthi says she would study all night. “I would get my doubts cleared from the teachers at school. Apart from that, I studied by myself with no assistance. I studied from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and then woke up early in the morning to continue,” she said.

Her father is a water can supplier and her mother, a homemaker. Suganthi dreams of becoming a Chartered Accountant.

“I will pursue the commerce stream and then take up CA. I’m not sure when the obsession with this career choice began,” she added. Ms. Sathya, however, only hopes that Suganthi would be the channel for others to study.

“So many of my neighbours questioned our choice to move Suganthi to a government school. We were not able to afford the fees at private schools for both our kids, so we moved her. The neighbours looked down upon the government school,” she said.

Continuing to keep her brother in a private school, she said Suganthi had shown that government schools are no less. “I have studied only till Class 8. It is important that my children study and do good for others. Suganthi will do great things,” she said.