Media Release by Christopher Dsouza

Mangalore, Aug 4: Manisha Maria Pereira, daughter of Felix and Sandra Pereira was awarded the First Rank and Gold medal in the Master of Science degree, Biomedical Genetics branch at the 24th Annual Convocation held on August 1st 2009 at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore -  India’s Top Ranking Private University.
 
Manisha did her schooling at one of Chennai’s best Institutions run by the Patrician Brothers –     St. Michael’s Academy and has been consistently scoring distinction throughout her schooling years. Upon completion of her Higher Secondary Examinations under the Tamil Nadu State Board with distinction, she moved on to do her B.Sc in Biotechnology, Botany and Chemistry from the St. Agnes College, Mangalore. She was awarded the Christina Alapat Achievement Award for the Best Outgoing Botany Student and the Dr. Ida Gonsalves Silver Medal for the All Round Runner up Outgoing Science Student for the Academic year 2006-2007 at St. Agnes College.

She completed her Graduation with distinction and was selected on merit with an All India Ranking of 186 to do her M.Sc in Biomedical Genetics at the VIT University, Tamil Nadu.  She scored a CGPA of 9.76 out of 10 in her Masters and was bestowed with the Prof. Dr. Ing. Manfred Goetze, (Germany) endowment award instituted by the Chancellor, VIT Vellore along with a Merit Scholarship for securing the Highest Marks in the University Examinations at the University day celebrations held on the 6th of April 2009. Based on her outstanding academic performance, she was chosen to do her Master’s Thesis Project at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, where she did research for a period of six months.  She worked on understanding the molecular basis of Alzheimer’s disease using the fruit fly as a model organism.

At present, she works in Mangalore’s famous Fr. Muller Medical College Hospital as a Lecturer in the Pathology department.  Her zeal to give back to the society what she has received has prompted her to work in Mangalore and serve her community.   It’s her dream to scale new heights in the field of Medical Genetics, through her research, so that she can reach out to those families who are struck by genetic disorders. 

Apart from studies, music has always been her passion.  She has passed four grades in solo piano from the Trinity College of Music with distinction.  Painting, Reading and cooking are among her other interests.  She has won a number of prizes at the inter-collegiate level for paper presentations, debates, mock-interviews, street theatre and vegetable carving.