12th standard girl Maleeha Zehra on cloud nine after securing a seat in Georgetown University with a scholarship offer of $70,000

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for today” - Malcolm X. The achievement story of Maleeha Zehra is a perfect example to be quoted here. Being a 12th standard girl from Srinagar, getting a scholarship offer worth $70,000 (over 51 Lakh) from prestigious Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service in Qatar for the undergraduate programme, Maleeha has undoubtedly come a long way in her academic journey.

Getting a scholarship offer was beyond her imagination. She recalled how she went through the rigorous application process in these tough times but with the assistance of her teachers, school counsellors and even her seniors who are studying abroad, she nailed it. 

A bumpy ride to her dreams

Even after getting a confirmed scholarship offer, she was worried about her postponement of the class 12th examination and travel restrictions abroad due to surging coronavirus cases. This made her skeptical about whether everything will happen favourably or not. 

However, this concern was much lesser than the challenges she suffered during the academic journey. Firstly, like most of the students, she faced the same old dilemma in choosing the right stream in high school. But she chose humanities with her interest in political science. Further, the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and interrupted 4G internet services in the state along with coronavirus induced lockdown emerged as the big roadblocks affecting her academic life. Since the schools were shut down and she had no classroom and extracurricular experience, she covered up this point in her application by revealing her excellent grades and experience of attending an exchange programme in Brazil. All of this made her application process more victorious. 

She credited everyone for pushing her to the best

Her mentor Shazia Fida was like a rock to her. She was her class instructor and the activity in charge at her school. She backed her throughout her long journey as Maleeha was preparing for this scholarship for the past two years. Not only this, Maleeha credited every individual who had played a role in making an impact in her achievement.

She credited her parents and siblings for believing in her to follow the path of truth and work hard, as it paid off. Her family members are completely satisfied with her. The people who haven't been in contact with her for years are congratulating her for such an accomplishment. She is willing to serve the people of Kashmir after coming back with her undergraduate degree to our country. 

This incredible academic achievement journey of Maleeha who planned her preparation strategy and made it big despite being in such a tough time will truly be an inspiration for young students who want to pursue their higher education from prestigious foreign universities. 

Getting inspired by her won’t let you achieve what you have in your mind unless you put that inspiration into action. Go click here to get the scholarships from prestigious universities!

For other interesting articles, read:

• A farmer’s daughter from Jharkhand village gets full scholarship from Harvard University
• Meet Mrityunjay Tiwary, the IIM professor who teaches Business Simulation with board games!
• Night Guard to IIM Ranchi Professor - The Self-Scripted Success Story of Ranjith Ramachandran
• Bidding adieu to the architect of Kota Factory who made Kota a national brand for IIT-JEE coaching