Kerala engineering student Reema Shaji has made a mark in US Global Undergraduate Exchange Program

 

Even today, it is not at all easy for an economically confined Indian  girl to study abroad and make her own identity.

Reema Shaji, a resident of Tirur, Kerala, also used to dream of going abroad for higher education since childhood. However the relatives' responses were almost uniform — "get married and go abroad with your husband's help." But Reema didn't let her dream get tarnished and won.

Now, Reema Shaji,  student of the Kuttipuram MES College of Engineering, became one of only five students from India to be selected for the US’ Global Undergraduate (UGRAD) Exchange Program, a substantive exchange programme aimed at providing a diverse group of emerging student leaders with a scholarship for one semester at a US college or university.

“My first goal is to become an independent woman,” says the 20-year-old, who is all set to fly to the US to attend the fifth semester of her computer science engineering course at the McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, next January.(New Indian Express)

However, after the death of her father, it was not easy for Reema to fulfill her dream of going abroad for education. She says- “After my father passed away, it was my mother Jousiya Shaji who looked after me and my sister Tasnim Shaji. My mother is my biggest inspiration to acquire education and stay independent. I only seek her advice. In fact, now all our relatives  proud of my achievement. They have realized that I don’t have to rely on a husband to go abroad”

Reema, who is expected to return home by June next year says - that students even from economically backward families should try to earn a suitable foreign scholarship and study abroad.

Reema Shaji with her mother Jousiya Shaji (source: Express News Service)

Reema had applied for the scholarship last January and was selected on November 9 after several procedures including the TOEFL exam and an interview.

Now, the costs of tuition, housing and meals will be covered under the scholarship, in addition to which she will receive a small stipend to meet living expenses in the US during the period of the programme. Under the programme, students will be provided with a free round trip from their home city to the US host college or university.

Reema Shaji is an accomplished valedictorian currently pursuing BTech in computer science. She is a proficient writer, speaker, leader, elocutionist, and creative director. Reema is someone who loves exploring different sectors, experimenting with different subjects, working with and in diverse circumstances and loves learning new things. She strives to grow as a professional in the engineering field and as a person, while promoting her values.

“When the interviewer asked why they should select me, I told them I will be an inspiration for other girls like me to chase their dreams. When I return from the US, I will also pass on the knowledge I acquired there to the students in my country,” she says.