A girl from a middle-class socioeconomic class and a town where education does not seem important, especially for girls, she aspired to do something different for herself, and her family, and to dispel the stereotypes about girls’ education that she had grown up hearing from her extended family. My aunt once told me, “Kitna Bhi parhlo, baad mein to krni handi roti hi hai.” Can you imagine? A 10-year-old girl studying hard to get first place in her class to please her parents; she had to listen to all these negative comments from her extended family, but I didn’t let those comments get to me.
My Mama deserves credit for ensuring that I received the best education possible. Let’s fast forward to when I need to get into my university. As I previously stated, I wanted to do something unique that no one in my family or town had done before. No one in my family has ever attended or even considered attending a business school. I applied to IBA Karachi, not knowing what would happen in the future, and I was accepted with a 100 percent scholarship to IBA Karachi, one of the best business institutes in Pakistan.
I wish I could write, that I was fortunate to gain admission to IBA, but this is a lie because I know how hard I worked to secure admission to this institute. I was the first girl from my town to be accepted into the prestigious IBA Karachi. However, convincing my family to allow me to study in Karachi was another difficult aspect of this journey. My father was adamantly opposed to sending me to Karachi because no other girl in my family had gone there for her undergraduate studies. And I don’t think it was his fault either because I was just a 17-year-old girl who didn’t know much about the world to him.
I recall crying for days to persuade my family to send me to Karachi for my studies. I was fortunate enough to succeed and begin my journey in the city of light. I can’t say my undergraduate experience at IBA was without ups and downs; I cried several times and had emotional breakdowns. But that’s the beauty of life; I wanted to be independent and make my parents proud, and I did, Alhamdulillah. In all these years, I have groomed myself and learned to be emotionally and financially independent. My father is so proud of me now that he says, “Tum Mera Fakhar ho,” and it makes everything worth it.
I spent four years in my university hostel, where I learned valuable lessons about life, the people around me, and the world beyond my small town. Then I had another low point in my life where I had to leave my hostel and find a place on my own where I could continue grooming myself and become more independent and responsible. Fortunately, I discovered “Myghar” to begin this journey, and it inspires me to live with other girls who wanted to be independent and inspired in some way.
Because of this beautiful journey, I’m writing my thesis on the dynamic shift in the lives of girls who shifted from rural to urban cities for higher education, how it has changed their self-identities, and social statuses, and how these qualities influence their attitudes.
This is only the beginning of a new era; there are many more achievements to discover.
“If I can do it, anyone can, you just need to be determined”
Disclaimer: The narrative presented in the article is by the company itself and in no way is endorsed by Founder Pakistan.
