Waseem Ajaz
Bandipora, Sep 15: Asiya Qadir, 25, a Geology student from Bandipora district has won laurels for Kashmir for having been selected for a fully-funded PhD scholarship at the prestigious University of Prama in Italy.Qadir said that she had applied with the foreign university in August. "I followed the PhD call of the university and proceeded accordingly".
From going through the qualification assessment to passing the interview phase, Qadir said, the committee chooses the best, based on the performance of the candidate in the interview, "Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah), I did well in both the phases and made it," she said.
She said that she was among the top five candidates from around the world to be selected for the program.
Qadir said that students from every part of the globe had applied for this scholarship and they had to choose the best 5 candidates and "I am glad to share that I am one among them".
The PhD scholarship to the successful candidates will be provided for three years. Qadir, who has completed MSc from Applied Geology from Kashmir University in 2020 had to face some "ugly situations" while on fieldwork, but her passion for the subject, love for nature and the support from her family helped her to go on.
"Yes, I have faced some ugly incidents while doing the fieldwork like the comments and stares from people who were around. But at many locations people were welcoming," Qadir said.
Qadir who hails from Ajar locality in Bandipora says her interest in the subject grew when she was in college. "After knowing about the real substance which the subject has, I decided to opt for Master’s and went to KU," she said.
Qadir said that her family’s joy knew no bounds after hearing about her selection in Italy. "My family has provided full support to me on every step of my life. After hearing about this, their happiness knew no bounds," visibly jubilant Qadir told the Dark press.
The love towards nature has made Qadir an occasional writer too, and whenever she finds anything fascinating she scribbles it down in the form of poems or essays.
"The rocks, mountains around me, the streams, landscapes which we do study fascinate me and I think my subject has enriched my imagination like now I deeply think over nature and pen down whatever whirls around my head," Qadir expressed.
Meanwhile, scores of academics and locals have congratulated the young girl for achieving the feat.
“Congratulations Aasiya Qadir. You have achieved a great milestone. Being on the top of the merit list for a fully funded PhD programme in one of the most reputed universities of Italy is a new beginning. I wish you great success and prosperity in life," Zoya Khan an academic said.
