Hello Everyone!
I am Abiha Batool, a third year student of Communication and Design at Habib University in Karachi. My interests include photography, illustration, storytelling and environmentalism.
Attending Habib on a scholarship has been a great opportunity for me because of how it has helped me grow academically and as a person, and I make the most of it by actively participating in extracurriculars like debates, competitions, event management, even representing Habib in COP in My City –a conference - organized by the Ministry of Climate Change. An active participant in student politics, I was also the elected Senator for C&D Class of 2019. I have worked with various departments like the Library, Marketing, Runway Radio and Playground, and was also selected as the orientation leader for the batch of 2020. My experience outside Habib includes interning with organizations like Marvi Mazhar Associates and Express Tribune. I participated in all these activities to earn new skills and experiences, all the while maintaining my CGPA of above 3.5.
After a rigorous selection process that not only judged students based on their academic standing but also evaluated their meta-curricular activities and soft skills, I have been selected to represent Pakistan at the Summer International Honors Program (IHP) 2018 at Stanford University, which is one of the finest and top ranked educational institutions in the world. IHP combines top-notch academics with extracurricular activities that explore the rich cultural, social, and geographical resources of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the session's Intensive Studies Program offers students the opportunity to join a cohort of students and faculty and engage deeply with each other. Habib University is the only university in Pakistan that has an MOU signed with Stanford for the IHP Program, which means that the best students are picked for this program as they represent not just Habib, but also Pakistan at Stanford University.
Stanford appeals to me mainly because it has one of the most sustainable campuses in the USA. As a staunch advocate of sustainability, I have been working hard at Habib University to make it environment friendly. Along with working on installing a waste management system, I have been working on initiating a Sustainability Office at Habib to make our community more aware and responsible for the waste we create. I also intend to take my interests further and become an Urban Designer to combat the issues of climate change and waste management in Pakistan. Stanford caters to my interests as I will get a chance to take courses like Sustainability Design Thinking which teach and promote an eco-friendly lifestyle by approaching sustainability from the perspective of design thinking. Along with this I would get a chance to work closely with their Sustainability Office and student-led clubs like Students For Sustainable Stanford, which will help me learn a lot about the theory and implementation of sustainable ideas.
Moreover, studying at a campus as diverse as Stanford will allow me to grow personally, professionally, intellectually and socially, and its contrast with my own culture and atmosphere will not only help me explore myself, but also become better at relating and collaborating with people from around the world. These connections and learnings will prove to be beneficial for me and my whole community as I will bring them back to Pakistan and implement them in every aspect of my life, including my university and the Society of Sustainability that I initiated and currently Chair. Not only this, my learnings at both Habib and Stanford will allow me to better understand the issues of climate change and sustainability in Pakistan, and will enable me to come up with efficient and valid solutions for our country. I can say that at Habib I have managed to achieve things I didn’t know I was capable of, and Stanford would push me to do even better.
The cost of attending this Program is USD 16,167, and the cost breakdown is as follows:
- Subsidized tuition Fee: $6,970
- Housing and meal plan: $3,718
- Campus health service fee: $210
- Document fee: $125
- I-20 fee: $150
- Room and Board Fee: $142
- Health Insurance: $1,242
- Books and Supplies (estimated): $450
- Round Trip Karachi-Us Airfare (estimated): $1,300
- F1 visa fee + SEVIS fee: $260
- Personal expenses: $1,500
Total Program Cost: $16,167
Based on my excellent performance, I was the first student from my major to be granted a 50% scholarship (excluding personal expenses). But even with this scholarship, I have to raise around USD 9,000 by April 2018. I feel that this program is the perfect opportunity for me to learn about a field I am passionate about. Unfortunately I am unable to afford the expenses myself. Previously I was selected for opportunities like UC Berkeley’s Summer Program and The Twelfth International Conference on Design Principles and Practices, but I couldn’t attend them because of the lack of funds. I have worked even harder to get into Stanford University and don’t want this opportunity to go to waste like the last ones. Hence I will be grateful if you would agree to fully or partially sponsor me for Stanford’s Summer Session, or would provide me with any sort of guidance and advice regarding the process. Your smallest contributions can make the greatest difference, so feel free to contribute anything and in any way possible.
If you want to have a look at some of my work, here is a link to my online Portfolio:
https://www.behance.net/ab01132d36f
Furthermore, if you need more information or would like to discuss the program, please feel free to contact me at +92-347-0809400 or at ab01132@st.habib.edu.pk.
Kindest Regards,
Abiha
