A young girl from the Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir has been selected for a fully funded PhD scholarship at the University of Parma in Italy. This is indeed a remarkable accomplishment, as she is among the 5 candidates across the globe who have received this scholarship. She comes from a small town but dreams big. She is the first member of her family to visit another country. The nation is proud of this young achiever, and the youth of Kashmir derives inspiration from her. She is Asiya Qadir. Let’s get to know about this talented woman.
Asiya is native to the Ajar locality in Bandipora. He father is a retired government employee and her mother is a homemaker. She is a geology student who completed her Bachelor’s from a college in Sopore. In 2020, she completed her Master’s of Science in Applied Geology from Kashmir University.
She grew inclined towards geology during college. She thought there was a lot to study in geology and her interest in the field increased. This led her to choose geology as the subject for her Master’s degree, and she decided to pursue her post graduate degree from KU. According to her, geology is a field dominated by men, which was evident when she found that of the 30 students in her Master’s class, only 10 were girls.
Mountains, streams, rocks, and landscapes fascinate Asiya. She thinks geology has enhanced her imaginative power and she often ponders over nature and expresses her thoughts through poetry and essays. She wishes to study the geology in other parts of the world and learn about the Central Mediterranean region rather than limiting herself to the Himalayas.
Asiya’s parents were worried about her field work, as she would have to visit remote places. When on the field, she had to face the stares and negative comments of some people, while some were quite welcoming. During research, there were times when there was no Internet and she could not access her online journals. However, these difficulties did not deter her ambition and enthusiasm. She continued with her studies, applied for scholarship in a foreign university, and emerged successful.
Asiya responded to the PhD call of the university and proceeded accordingly. She went through the assessment test, followed by interviews. According to her, the selection committee was focussed on how each candidate fares at the interview. She cleared the interview, scoring 76 out of 80, and successfully earned the PhD scholarship at the University of Parma in Italy.
This is a 3-year scholarship, which was awarded to only five candidates. Students from across the globe had applied for this scholarship, and the five best candidates were selected for the same.
Naturally, Asiya was overjoyed when she learnt that she had been chosen for the scholarship. Her family members too were extremely happy and proud about her achievement. Asiya says that her family has been a constant support throughout her education and at every step of her life. She is also grateful to her professors from the Kashmir University and Afroz Ahmad Shah, Assistant Professor of Structural Geology at the University of Brunei.
Asiya’s passion for geology and love for nature has brought her this far. She is on the merit list of a fully funded PhD programme at one of the prestigious universities in Italy, and this is definitely an outstanding feat.
