Educating Asia's Women, One Scholarship At A Time

Mosa | Naogaon, Bangladesh | Class of 2021 | Environmental Studies

Mosa is always excited to try new things—the majority of her courses thus far have been focused on the humanities, but her favorite course this semester is her integrated science class. “I did not have much knowledge about science. Though it is very difficult for me, I worked hard to learn. I feel very happy now because I have learned numerous things about science,” she says. Mosa’s hard work in all of her academic courses has paid off, and she was selected to volunteer as a mentor for Pathways scholars. Mosa’s tasks included couching them in English speaking and pronunciation and helping them to expand their English vocabulary. Mosa also volunteers to help organize events, such as the Halloween cultural show. Outside of her academics and community service, Mosa loves to play soccer and badminton at the AUW campus site.

For Mosa, arriving at AUW was a life-changing experience. “After coming to AUW I have started to recognize myself for who I am. AUW helps me to learn about myself. Before there were a lot things I could not afford due to my family’s poverty—for instance, education. Now, AUW has given me the self-confidence to know that I can pursue my dreams,” she explains. One day, Mosa wants to use what she has learned to make the world a better place. While she is not quite sure what career she wants to pursue, she knows what issues she is passionate about, saying, “I want to work to improve human rights, especially for women, because in Bangladesh society is very male-dominated. Also, I want to work to address environmental pollution.”

Sonia | Bangladesh | Class of 2020 | Politics, Philosophy, and Economics

Sonia is enjoying her courses this semester, which include Political Philosophy and Intro to Economics. Economics is her favorite class because she finds the material to be applicable in her daily life. She thinks it is very important for everyone to have an understanding of basic economics. Outside of her coursework, Sonia is part of Campaign RED, an organization that brings AUW students to various schools in the region to teach the young students about menstrual health. “Our campaign is all about leadership. For me, I have to control the class alone and face different types of questions from the community and respond strongly,” Sonia shares. Sonia and others volunteering with Campaign RED have created a social media community and encourage students to use their Facebook platform to communicate with each other. She is passionate about her work with this campaign because she knows that improving awareness about menstrual health and removing stigma will help not only her community but her own life as well. “We should volunteer [with Campaign RED] not only to help others but also for our own benefit, because when people as a whole become aware of this issue, it becomes an easier environment for us all,” Sonia explains.

Nely| Chittagong, Bangladesh | Class of 2022 | Major: Undecided

Nely is a very active member of the AUW community and she is currently completing her second semester of the Access Academy. Her favorite classes at the moment are Pre-Calculus and English Language and Composition. Nely is active with a large number of student organizations, including the Women’s Entrepreneurship Club, Animal Welfare Club, Women Across Borders Club and Youth Voice. She volunteers with several of these organization, saying, “From my volunteering I have learned many things such group work activities, helping others in need, how to do hard work and talk with others for helping and others lots of things.”

Nely’s favorite memories from this year are AUW’s cultural events and the Welcome to My Country event. She is learning to play the guitar with the AUW Guitar Club and likes to practice filmmaking with the AUW Film Club. Nely is using her activities on campus to improve her public speaking and teaching skills. “My home country has many big problems that I want to work on, such as lack of education, child marriage, and sexual assault of women. I also want to work for the poor children and slum areas. After my graduation from AUW, I want to get involved with many organizations which are working for poor people.”

Lucky | Chandpur, Bangladesh | Class of 2021 | Major: Undecided

This year, Lucky was selected to travel to Hong Kong to speak at an Asian University for Women event. She was very proud to have earned this honor and feels she got a lot out of the experience. Lucky also is proud to have been offered a place at the Asia Pacific Youth Conference, although she wasn’t able to attend.

Lucky worked hard to achieve good scores in her academic courses this year. “Pre-calculus is my favorite subject because it is easy to do solve the problem. I like using numbers, fractions, decimals and so much more. Math is also used in the real world and even in a future career like engineering, architect, math teacher and a lot more. For these reasons math is my favorite subject,” Lucky says. She has learned a lot outside of just her academics, saying, “I have learned to how to improve my academic writing, such as avoiding casual language. I have also learned to respect all types of people. I learned so many positive things that I can’t explain it briefly—it would takes lots of time!”

Lucky is active in a variety of student organizations, including Women Across Borders Club, the AUW Film Club, the Animal Welfare Club, the Education Cells Teacher Training program, and Karate. These activities keep Lucky busy. She is also a mentor for new students and helps them adapt to life at AUW. “When I am a volunteer in the Women Across Borders Club, I have many responsibilities,” Lucky says. “Women Across Borders Club works in a local school—I go there sometimes and teach. I enjoy it because I like to work with people.”

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