Bengaluru: Twenty-four-year-old Yamuna Menon is the first student of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), the prestigious law university in Bengaluru, to have won 18 gold medals.
Yamuna, who couldn’t stop smiling when her name was repeatedly called out, received the medals at the 28th convocation ceremony which was held virtually Sunday.
So what drove her to pursue law? It was the courtroom stories told to her by a retired Supreme Court lawyer during her Class 10 vacations, she said.
“I had just finished my 10th exams and during my vacation, I used to help E.X. Joseph who had served as a senior lawyer in the Supreme Court. He was writing a book of poems and I was helping him with some computer work. That is when he would tell me stories about the lives of lawyers, their cases and how they argued in the courts. I was hooked,” she told ThePrint over phone from her Kochi residence.
Yamuna, who hails from Udayamperoor in Kochi, initially couldn’t make it to the law university after the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) in 2014. But she never gave up and decided to take a year’s break and appear for CLAT again. She bagged the 28th rank in CLAT 2015 and was admitted to NLSIU.
Also read: Common entrance tests for all undergraduate courses across India likely from next year
Higher studies
On being asked how she managed to sweep so many medals, Menon said she ensured she set personal goals each time she approached a subject.
She plans to continue her law education and is set to leave for England for her Masters.
“Two international universities have offered me scholarships. Oxford Law University and Trinity College, Cambridge. I have chosen Trinity College as it is very prestigious,” she said, adding that she intended to pursue international law.
“I would like to return to India after gaining international exposure and contribute to the country,” she added.
Also read: Modi govt plans to make 1-year postgraduate degree from foreign university valid in India