Every success story involves failure and so does Rimsha Bano’s story. She has overcome great obstacles during her journey to success. Rimsha Bano is our UGRAD alumna (Spring 2022). A year ago, she would have never pictured her life the way it is now. She still remembers a rejection email she received for the UGRAD (Fall 2021) batch. She took that rejection positively and worked hard to aim to score the next year’s slot. Rimsha stayed motivated in that tough spot and applied for the next cohort which had even more competition than the previous year. Finally, fortune smiled on her and she gained the wonderful opportunity of experiencing an in-person classroom environment at Wayne State University. Rimsha’s home university is the Virtual University of Pakistan. It is the first university in Pakistan based on online learning technology that provides affordability and quality education at the doorstep for students from remote areas. Therefore, taking on-campus traditional classes and getting involved in group discussions with students having great minds at Wayne State University was truly a valuable educational experience for her. She is the first undergraduate student from her home university who won this prestigious scholarship. She was awarded the certificate of recognition quoted by the university’s Rector as “Rimsha is the door opener of this success and an example setter for all VU students who utilize their potential in the available resources they have and never give up on their dreams”. “Today, I am so proud to share that through this program, a young headstrong girl from a small town, set a new social construct to travel the journey of her dreams as the first independent undergraduate female in her family after my brother,” shared Rimsha. Currently, she is working with an NGO that is a daycare for children with Down’s syndrome. Her major is in Child Psychology, so she is also planning to initiate an awareness campaign on child’s mental health care in her community. May she continue to be the beacon of light for the people far and wide.
