Star student dies in crash
A gifted Black Country student who achieved some of the best exam results in the country has been killed in a road smash in India.
Riva Desai and her cousin were hit by a lorry while riding a moped on Friday.
The 20-year-old from New Invention, Willenhall had travelled to the Nadiad area of Gujarat with her father Chetan for her grandfather's funeral.
It is believed she died at the scene of the accident, and her cousin survived. Her devastated family said they are still waiting at home for further details.
A former pupil of the prestigious Queen Mary's High School in Walsall, Miss Desai achieved eight A*s and two As in her GCSE results. Her A* for psychology was among the top 5 results in the country.
Miss Desai, who attended Pool Hayes Primary School in Willenhall, also achieved brilliant A-level results and was reading mathematics at Imperial College, London, at the time of her death.
She had gained a first in her studies so far at Imperial College and had also recently had a piece of work accepted for publication in a professional journal. Her mother Chhaya and younger sister Heena have now joined her father in India.
Cousin Michelle Patel paid tribute to her. "She was very clever but she also enjoyed life," she said. "She took each day as it came and never held anything back."
Family friend Brian Shaw, of Coppice Farm Way, said: "I have known Riva's family since before she was born. Her parents were very proud and rightly so because she was a genius."
Diana Woods, who retired as headteacher of Queen Mary's at the end of last term, said today: "Riva was an exceptionally talented girl with a lot of promise."
A celebration of Riva's life is being planned for September.
