“There are two kinds of people — one who grow with the institution and the other with whom the institution grows. In my case, I grew up with the school and the school grew up with me. I owe my achievement to the school and my family members who always inspired me,” says Paramjit.

A graduate from Fergusson College, Pune, Paramjit wanted to be a doctor. “I could not clear PMT, but had cleared the test for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). But my father, who was in the Indian Army, did not send me for BDS,” she recalls.

One of her teachers at the college had told her once that “if you are a star you can be a star in any field”. The words made her realise her real potential and she passed MSc in chemistry with gold medal and then cleared her MEd.

She started her career as a science teacher in a Chandigarh school, but left the job after marrying into a Ludhiana family. It was her father-in-law, Captain Niranjan Singh (retd), who motivated her to get back to her professional life. “He had said if he made me sit at home, it would be a national wastage. His words inspired me and I joined the BCM School as a teacher in 1989,” says Paramjit. She became the vice-principal exactly ten years later.

The new millennium came with another promotion and she assumed the office of principal on January 1, 2000. “There has been no looking back since then,” she says.

Paramjit has a multifaceted approach to learning and has maintained high academic standards of the school that has 5,500 students. Two of her projects brought laurels for herself and also for the school. Her ‘open basic education’ project is for the dropouts from schools affiliated to the National Institute of Open Schools. The second one is about making villagers aware about clean drinking water. The project won her appreciation from former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.

A mother of two sons, Paramjit believes in not leaving anything for tomorrow. “Despite my busy schedule, I teach chemistry, my favourite subject, to senior classes and always go well prepared with my lecture. This is what I tell my teachers.”

Students and teachers like to share their problems with her and so does Paramjit, who goes through all the slips on her table before she leaves for the day.A versatile personality, Paramjit is an avid reader, writes poems, makes paintings and is equally good with handicrafts. “The bright future of my school” is all she always prays and works for.