Pakistani students get a taste of Silicon Valley

More than 100 students from 14 countries are attending the eight week long academic programme

For the first time ever, Pakistani students are attending the prestigious Stanford Summer International Honours Programme (SSIHP) in California where they will be exposed to the entrepreneurial culture of the Silicon Valley.

The programme, which is being attended by students from Habib University alongside 100 others from 14 countries, is an eight week long academic session through which students can choose to study from around 250 courses in Humanities and Sciences, Earth Sciences, and Engineering.



The purpose behind the programme is to promote collaborations among students and thinkers by engaging them in a meaningful conversation and dialogue. “This is accomplished by nurturing a culture of diversity of thought which becomes evident from the fact that this year alone, there are more than 100 students attending from 20 universities in 14 different countries – among which, Habib University will be representing Pakistan for the first time,” the university management wrote on its website.

“Initiatives like the SSIHP will definitely aid HU students to not only take advantage of Stanford’s intellectual resources, but to also be exposed to the entrepreneurial culture of the Silicon Valley which is notorious for transforming budding young minds into successful global thinkers,” it added.

The SSIHP is a collaboration between Stanford University and specific international teaching and research institutions. The programme combines top-notch academics with extracurricular activities that explore the rich cultural, social and geographical resources of the San Francisco Bay Area. The programme, which began on June 18, will go on till August 14.

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As a part of SSIHP, students will have the opportunity to earn credit at one of the most competitive universities in the United States, according to Stanford University website.

“Keeping true to HU’s commitment to promoting diversity in every aspect, the university takes pride in introducing the students who eventually were selected to go for the SSIHP after a rigorous selection process based on intellectual prowess, and the ability to articulate their thoughts in a meaningful way so that the students act as cultural ambassadors of Pakistan in general, and Habib University in particular,” the university management wrote on its website.



These are the students taking part in the programme:

Anusha Fatima, BS Computer Science (2018)

Anas Masood, BS Computer Science (2018)

Syed Muhammad Hasan Naqvi, BS Electrical Engineering (2018)

Osama bin Rizwan, BS Electrical Engineering (2018)

Sana Rizwan, BSc (Honors) Social Development & Policy (2018)

Moizza Salahuddin, BSc (Honors) Social Development & Policy (2018)

Hareem Salman, BSc (Honors) Social Development & Policy (2018)

Sumbul Zehra, BS Computer Science (2018)

Habib University is a liberal arts and sciences university, offering interdisciplinary education in science, engineering, arts, humanities & social sciences.

Last year, the president of Habib University, Wasif Akbar Rizvi, and the Dean of Stanford university’s continuing studies and summer session, Charles Junkerman, signed a mutual agreement for the Stanford Summer International Honours Program (IHP).

Further, Habib University has also signed memorandum of understandings (MoU) with the world’s leading universities: Pitzer College, University of Michigan and Harvey Mudd College.