On Sunday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin posted a message on his social media handle. “Congratulations, Dr. Jency. May the light of your hard work let many more take up education. Let them overcome obstacles and marginalisation through education.”

Ms. Jency is the first transgender to become an assistant professor at Loyola College. A native of R.K. Pet in Tiruttani, she completed schooling and under-graduation at government institutions.

“Even when I was in Class 2, I knew I was effeminate and liked it. Neighbours chided me but I was me. I used to be scared of transgenders. I decided that I would educate myself and worked hard. I was the topper in school in Class 12. There was no English teacher in school, and I scored the lowest in English with just 108 marks. I was lucky as 11 students ahead of me on the merit list did not turn up for counselling,” she says of her admission to BA Literature at Government Arts College, Tiruttani.

She did her post-graduation in literature and then M. Phil at Dr. Ambedkar Government Arts College in Chennai. She was a gold medallist in BA and MA, she says. Her mother sold flowers and accompanied her to Loyola College when she registered herself for Ph.D, Ms. Jency says. “Sadly, my mother did not live to see me complete my Ph.D,” she says. Her doctoral thesis was on the relationship between nature and literature.

Ms. Jency says her guide and the current head of English Department, P. Mary Vidya Porselvi, helped her complete her research. She is indebted to the principal of the college too, she adds.

“I want to make an appeal to the Chief Minister. I appeal to him to give me a job in a government college. I would like to change the stereotype that people have of transgenders,” says the 30-year-old.