Allow me to provide you with an overview of how my studies have progressed over the past year and how your support has positively influenced my academic and personal growth. I have just completed my 3rd year in materials science which ended with 6 quite intense 3-hour exams. The knowledge and skills I have gained through my revision and understanding of my degree has been truly transformative, shaping my understanding of the subject and instilling a confidence in my abilities which I think I briefly lost. This year has been particularly challenging for me, having lost a family member, I worried how I’d deal and work through it all. But by the grace of Allah, I feel I’ve been able to work through challenges and have come out the other side a much better & stronger version of myself.
Beyond the classroom, I’ve tried to seek practical experiences to enhance my learning and further develop my skills, though much more of this year was spent in libraries revising. My internship found with the aid of the COSARAF foundation at global technologies racing unfortunately only lasted a few days due to illness, however even those few days were amazing and I got to learn much about engineering and motorsport and develop skills in this field. I’m currently on an internship at Global Data this summer in London, a company whose CEO, Mike Danson, attended St Anne’s and has internship opportunities for students of the Anne’s community. I’m working mostly as an analyst in the technology and intelligence centre but am shadowing and learning things about many roles within the company. As I’ve progressed through university and become exposed to different job sectors, I’ve grown a curiosity for consulting and intend to use the support available from COSARAF to gain some further insight into what this career entails.
Additionally, I attended the Sheikh family scholar’s leadership development day held at St Anne’s this year. I gained a lot of insight into the skills and qualities a leader ought to possess and was surprised to see how many of these skills have been developed and built on at my time at university, particularly at a fast-paced learning environment like Oxford.
I had little time for clubs & societies this year but intent to get involved next year in my final year. The 4th year of my course consists of a thesis which allows for some more flexibility and free time than I had this year which I intend to use to try new societies and hopefully do as much access work as possible in my last year at Oxford. My chosen thesis title is ‘Optimising the manufacturing process of Oxide based Ceramic Matrix Composites for heat shields in gas turbine and rocket engines’. Ceramics are a set of materials I’ve particularly enjoyed learning about this year and am looking forwards to working on this project. Dr Talha Pirzada who I believe also has links to the COSARAF foundation will be one of my supervisors and I look forward to working with him.
Above, you will find a photograph of me during my ‘trashing’ (an oxford tradition where after the last exam your friends throw paint at you, and you jump in a lake). And me punting with friends to relax after some very intense exams. Sadly, many of my friends are on 3-year courses so will now be leaving Oxford but they are true friends for life and some of the best people I’ve had the privilege to meet and will be very missed.
Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for your unwavering support. Your belief in my potential has not only lifted a financial burden but has also provided me with the motivation and confidence to strive for excellence. Your generosity has had a profound impact on my life, and I am committed to making the most of the opportunities I have been given. Your scholarship has opened doors that would have otherwise remained closed to students like me, and I am deeply grateful for your belief in my abilities. I will continue to work hard and make the most of the opportunities presented to me, with the hope of one day giving back to the community and assisting future generations of students.
