Info session: Fulbright scholarship launched for 2015

ISLAMABAD:

Three years ago, Shermeen Bano could have easily accepted defeat.  Unable to secure a master’s candidacy at Quaid-i-Azam University despite her second attempt, Bano was aware that prospects for a higher education were slim. Coming from a hardworking family with modest means, financing a degree in sociology seemed daunting, if not impossible - until she learnt about the Fulbright programme. 

Shermeen is now a lecturer at QAU and one of the thousands of alumni who have benefited from the US-Pakistan Fulbright programme, earning a fully funded master’s degree and an enriching global context to carry forth in the way of greater mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the United States.

“When I first arrived in New York, I was entirely overwhelmed,” she shared during an informal conversation with The Express Tribune, following a press briefing organized by the United States Education Foundation (USEFP) to officially launch the Fulbright master’s and PhD scholarship programme for 2015.  Shermeen, who attended The New School in New York City and graduated with a Masters in Sociology, believes that the experience of living abroad amid a challenging amalgam of diversity, tolerance and healthy differences builds confidence and shapes the lens with which one views the world.

“You don’t have to be a genius to become a Fulbright scholar,” said an alumnus Shamsher Ali Khan, who studied Finance at the Tulane University. Khan, who was nervous about applying at first, shared that the programme encourages those who have strong goals, a drive and vision for the future.



“The general misconception is that the programme is aimed at private-school graduates and elites, but the programme caters to all Pakistani citizens who have attended any accredited university,” explained programme director Rita Akhtar, adding that women, minorities and people with disabilities and disadvantaged backgrounds were especially encouraged to apply.

“I resigned from my job when I felt this internal push to challenge my ambition and to seek a wider perspective. My boss thought it was a terribly brave move,” shared PhD scholar Jahanzeb Khan, who was born and raised in Quetta, where he attended the Balochistan University.

Khan’s inclination for a broader horizon paid off, and his thesis while pursuing a doctorate in Sociology at the New York University served to challenge misconceptions about madrassahs as an alternative to public schooling in his native province, Balochistan.

“My time at NYU was an opportunity to be inspired, to design my own research and seek intellectual challenges,” he added.

Fulbright scholars are drawn from the public and private sectors, including the academia and students alike, to pursue a diverse range of disciplines including engineering, health, education, social sciences, environment, water resources and fine arts among others.  “We want to get the word out and encourage as many Pakistanis as possible to apply for the programme,” expressed Akhtar.

The deadline for submissions is May 14, 2014 and full information, instructions and test registration can be found on the USEFP website.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2014.