The 26-year-old had always wanted to be a doctor and had the grades to pursue her dream.
But she could not get funding or a scholarship to study medicine.
She scored A1s in all eight subjects in the 2014 All India Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, a pre-university level exam.
Her achievement was recognised by the Kerala state chief minister, who presented her with a trophy and certificate.
Appeal for help: Givianaa’s plight was highlighted in ‘The Star’ on Nov 15, 2015.
(Givianaa, who was born in Ipoh, Perak, moved to India when she was 13.)
Despite being a merit student, she was not accepted into any public universities in India because she was not an Indian citizen.Neither could she gain admission into Malaysian public universities because she did not have local qualifications.