Educating Asia's Women, One Scholarship At A Time

Juma | Intended Major: Politics, Philosophy, and Economics | Khangrachari, Bangladesh

Juma has been enjoying her time at AUW, especially learning English and mathematics. “I enjoyed my math class the most last year because our math teacher was very friendly and funny,” Juma shares. She is also proud of her improvements in speaking and reading English, saying “My biggest challenge was getting the highest mark on the [English writing] exam so I did lot of studying and I succeeded.” Since Juma’s mother is uneducated, Juma deeply appreciates the opportunities she has that her mother did not, and this has driven her to do the best she can in her schoolwork.

This year, Juma is excited to start in the Access Academy, and worked hard all summer to complete her pre-access courses. “Last year I improved my speaking and reading skills, and this year I hope to improve my writing skill,” she explains. Juma is also looking forward to doing volunteer community service work and attending cultural events on campus. “I participated cultural events at AUW last year. Some cultural highlights were Pohela Boishak [First Day of Spring celebrations] and the Lunar New Year Cultural Show.”

Juma has big dreams for her future. “After completing my studies at AUW, I want to complete my post graduate studies. Then, I want to come back my country and work to overcome economic crises in my motherland.”

Yesmin | Intended Major: Economics | Chittagong, Bangladesh

Yesmin is a hard worker. While many students opt to enjoy a relaxing summer after a demanding year of education, Yesmin was determined to get ahead. She studied hard in her summer courses and graduated from the Access Academy program. She is grateful for the workshops offered by the AUW Science and Math Center, which helped improve her math skills this summer. This fall, Yesmin is proud to be starting her first year of undergraduate studies at AUW. She is also taking full advantage of AUW’s liberal arts curriculum and will be courses in a variety of subjects. She is particularly looking forward to the courses Cultural Anthropology, Contemporary Issues: An Applied Perspective, and Calculus I.

Yesmin’s determination and focus helped her to be successful despite the challenges presented to her by her courses last year. “I enjoyed the Pre-calculus and World Civilization classes. The teachers were very funny and helpful,” she shares. “My writing skills are better than they were before and I hope my speaking will become better throughout this year.”

This year, Yesmin is looking forward to becoming a better researcher. She finds writing research papers to be challenging, and shares, “I have taken two courses that require research papers this fall. I think it will be a big challenge for me but it is a skill necessary for my intended major [Economics]. So, I will try my best to improve.” Yesmin is looking forward to the opportunity to work with younger students and to help her community, and plans to make time to do community service work. After completing her studies at AUW, Yesmin wants to pursue a graduate degree. “I would also like to contribute to my previous garment employer because they helped me to create a better future for myself,” she shares. “I want to give my best effort to do well and I will try heart and soul to succeed.”

Meherun | Intended Major: Public Health | Chittagong, Bangladesh

Meherun loves life at AUW—especially the opportunity to become friends with women from different countries and backgrounds. “Since AUW is an international university and there is so much diversity, we learn so many things from being here. Getting an AUW scholarship is my best accomplishment!” she enthuses. In addition to making friends with her international classmates, Meherun also enjoys going to AUW’s cultural events. She even participated in one event, where she recited a poem to a full audience. One of her favorite events last year was the International Mother Language Day event, which featured traditional dances and poetry performed by students of all different nationalities.

Another extracurricular that Meherun enjoyed was community service. “I joined the Education Club at AUW last year. I went with the club to a school to teach children. It was one of the best experiences of my life because it was the first time that I have taught someone. I had fun with the children and spent time with them. I won’t ever forget that day,” she shares. Meherun is excited to do more work with the club this year.

Meherun has enjoyed learning as well as teaching at AUW. “Last year my favorite courses were mathematics and academic writing practice because they helped me to think logically and critically, and helped make me creative and productive. I enjoyed them very much,” she explains. Meherun is working hard to improve her English skills as well, saying, “I have improved most in my speaking and reading skills last year. I hopefully want to improve my writing skills this year.” Meherun’s improvement in English speaking is a direct result of her commitment to doing her best in all of her classes. In addition to working hard in class, Meherun also made a point to go to events at AUW to practice, such as a workshop at the Writing Center and attending a Slam Poetry session held by the Speak Up Against Violence Against Women Club. Meherun has big dreams, and she is working hard to make them a reality. “After finishing my graduation from AUW I want to work for my previous employer in management and I want to get a graduate degree from any university in USA or London,” Meherun shares.

Roksana | Intended Major: Economics | Dhaka, Bangladesh

Roksana is very grateful to be a student at AUW. She shares, “I would like to say that I am genuinely happy that I have the opportunity to study at AUW. It helps me meet international friends and teachers, and it also will help me to make a good career after my studies. I really appreciate everyone who is helping me accomplish these goals.” She is eager to share what she has learned so far, saying, “I have particularly improved in English listening, reading, and speaking. This year I hope I will improve in English writing as well as in mathematics and computer skills.” 

Reflecting on the past year, Roksana explains that she found learning English to be stimulating and challenging. This challenge was one of Roksana’s favorite memories from her Pathways year, especially because learning English has been a long-held ambition of hers. Roksana also enjoyed participating in student life at AUW—in particular the Ted Talk discussions held on a regular basis in the AUW Library, which also serve as an opportunity for her to practice speaking and listening in English with her classmates. She also participated in cultural performances for several events on campus, including the Chinese New Year event. Roksana has enjoyed the opportunity to practice her English with women from different countries and learn about their backgrounds.

Roksana has already started thinking about her goals for her life after completing AUW, and shares that she wants to apply for graduate programs. She hopes to eventually work in the development sector to support development in Bangladesh and around the world.