Anusheh Naveed Ashraf
We last saw Anusheh Naveed Ashraf of Pakistan in a video alongside News-Decoder’s most senior supporter.
Now Anusheh has received some very good news that deserves to be shared — she has won a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States.
Anusheh’s success is a motivator for other young people in the developing world who are keen to get ahead.
“This fall I’ll be joining Columbia University’s School of Public and International Affairs (SIPA) for a two-year master’s in Economic and Political Development with a specialization in Gender and Public Policy,” Anusheh said.
The applicant pool for the Fulbright grant was very competitive: Out of 1,100 shortlisted applicants, around 400 were interviewed. Only some 160 received a scholarship.
“I was lucky enough to be one of the few who were recommended for the award,” said Anusheh, who lives in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
For the past two years Anusheh has been working with Invest2Innovate, which supports entrepreneurs with an aim to foster economic growth and positive social change in Pakistan and beyond.
She said she has observed a “disturbing” dearth of women entrepreneurs in Pakistan and a lack of supporting policy.
Anusheh hopes to return to her native country after her master’s, “equipped with the knowledge and skills in policy formulation, implementation and advocacy to help push policy frameworks that overcome the obstacles women in business face in emerging markets, more specifically in Pakistan.”
Anusheh looks forward to living in the melting pot of New York.
“Being able to interact with students, professors and professionals from across the globe will enable me to promote more sustainable, effective and creative solutions to the problems we face here in Pakistan.”
News-Decoder is proud to have Anusheh in its community of young people around the world.
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