This year, we received a total of 63 applications – 44 female and 19 male applicants. After a thorough review by the Akademos board members, we shortlisted and video-interviewed 25 students, among them 11 students from Marriabad and 14 from Hazara Town. These interviews took place over 3 days for a total of 15 hours. The students answered a wide range of questions about their academic record, financial and social circumstances, extra-curricular activities, social activities, and future aspirations. We acknowledge that a majority of the applicants face substantial socioeconomic hurdles which prevent them from reaching their full academic potential. In finalising our selection, we have given due consideration to both academic record and the compelling circumstances – not just one.
As a small community-based volunteer-run organisation with a limited budget, we regret that we can only offer a limited number of scholarships. Among the selected 12 students for Akademos Scholarship 2019-2020 are aspiring engineers, doctors, bankers and artists, all of whom hail from working-class families in both Marriabad and Hazara Town. They are:
1- Marzia Muhammad – Islamia Girls College
2- Fatima Ewaz Ali – Govt Girls Degree College
3- Saliha Chaman Ali – KB Science College
4- Rizwana Muhammad Tahir – Govt Girls Degree College
5- Seema Ismail – Govt Girls Degree College
6- Syed Saifullah – Tameer-e-Nau Public College
7- Abida Rajab Ali – Islamia Girls College
8- Hakima Nouroz Ali – Islamia Girls College
9- Mustafa Hussain – Tameer-e-Nau Public College
10 – Sakina Mubarak Shah – Govt Girls Degree College
11- Wajeha Ghulam Raza – Islamia Girls College
12- Inayatullah Juma Khan – Tameer-e-Nau Public College
Congratulations. We look forward to working with you over the duration of your college studies. We trust that you will put this opportunity and support to good use.
We thank our esteemed partners in Quetta for their invaluable assistance in helping us complete the application, interview and selection process for Akademos Scholarship 2019-2020. We could not have done it without Muhammad Mehdi of Ummat Educational and Cultural Organisation and Ali Akbari of Hazara Town. Thank you very much.
“After my father’s passing, I have been supported by my mother’s handicraft work and my sister’s home-tutoring classes. We have struggled to pay for my educational expenses. This scholarship is a financial equalizer for me. It will help me fulfill my dream of studying medicine and neurology.”
“Following my father’s passing, we faced very difficult financial circumstances. My mother worked hard to enable me to get an education and get this far. When I become a banker, I will work hard to provide financial assistance to people living in poverty. I will work to help students who are denied opportunities because they cannot afford to pay for a good education.”
“I am an aspiring doctor but my financial situation has made it difficult for me for pursue my dreams. In addition to myself, my father is also responsible for the education of my three brothers and three other sisters. We are all students. This scholarship will help me overcome this challenge to get a good education and pursue my dreams.”
“My education has always been my first priority. My family and my father, a shopkeeper, have overcome many hurdles to make it possible for me to complete my matriculation with high distinction. I have seen my father work very hard to earn for us and save for our future. With the help of this scholarship, I will work hard, get higher education to help my family and my community, and reach my own goals.”
“I have big dreams for my future. I have been a high-achieving student. I have participated in calligraphy, poster, speech, Maths and sports competitions. I have participated in district and national level sports competitions. I am motivated and hard-working. I aspire to pursue studies in the field of medicine and become a cardiologist. ”
“My father, a hard-working coal miner, has sacrificed his happiness and well-being to help feed and educate me and my siblings. I wish to help my father as best as I can. This scholarship will help me pay for my college education. It will give me the confidence to pursue my dreams. It may seem impossible until it is done but I can not quit. I will study, become an engineer. ”
“I am from a working class family. My father is the breadwinner for 8 people. We have faced down difficult circumstances to get this far. This scholarship will help me overcome the hurdles and continue my education. I aspire to become successful and run my own business, so that one day I can give back to my community.”
“My father’s support has enabled me to complete my schooling and get good results in my exams. However, he cannot afford the expenses for my college education. This scholarship covers my fees and pays for my uniform, transport and books. It has helped reduce the financial burden on my parents so that I can continue my education.”
“My father does not earn enough to be able to support our education. This prevented my elder sister from completing her education. In spite of her illness, my mother and I work as embroiders to pay the fees for my younger brothers. This scholarship will help me out of this dilemma of continuing my education or supporting my siblings. I can now study and fulfill my dreams.”
“Following my mother’s passing, the responsibility to support and educate me and my four siblings fell on my father. I worked as a reception-hall steward and my younger brother worked as a shopkeeper to help support our family and continue our education. With support from Akademos, I am now able to attend a good college and get a good education so that I can study at a good university.”
“I have been a high-achieving student throughout my school years. I am the first person in my family to attend a college. My father, a rickshaw driver, has made many sacrifices to enable me and my siblings to get education. The support from this scholarship will provide me with the support I need to pursue academic excellence and my medical degree. ”