Thiruvananthapuram: Away from the capital city, in the village of Naruvamoodu, stands a small unfinished house. On the wall of a tiny room inside it, a sticky note carried the world of a young girl: “IFS in 2026!”

Now, as Sreeja secures 57th rank in the Civil Services Examination and earns a place in the civil services, it has become a story of success built on the tears and hard work of an entire family.

She studied in a small room whose walls had only plaster, without even a coat of paint. When they realised the room lacked proper lighting and brightness, Sreeja used the ₹2,500 she had saved to buy white cement and paint. Father and daughter together painted the room themselves.

Sreeja had also taken a firm decision: she would write the Civil Services examination only once. She completed her schooling up to Plus Two at Little Flower School, Vellayani; New Higher Secondary School, Nellimoodu; and St Mary’s School, Pattom. It was her teachers who inspired her to aim for the civil services.

Sreeja pursued both her degree and postgraduate studies at Madras Christian College. She followed a disciplined routine, studying each day’s lessons on the same day. She also prepared detailed notes from newspapers, which later proved helpful during the interview.

“If we dream of reaching the moon, we may at least reach the stars,” Sreeja says, her words filled with happiness. “When I got the 57th rank, it felt like I had reached the moon itself.”

Although her original dream was to become an IAS officer, her time studying in Chennai made her reconsider and aim for the Indian Foreign Service.

Her father Jayakumar studied only up to Class 9, but he made sure poverty did not stand in the way of his daughter’s dreams. He worked as a daily wage labourer to earn the money needed for his children’s education.

Her mother Sheeja Kumari, an MA graduate, helped Sreeja with her studies until Class 9. Her brother JS Jyothish is currently pursuing BSc Physics at Loyola College, Chennai.