Two Bangladeshis win NY Times scholarship this year

Two Bangladeshis are among the 12 high school students who have won the New York Times College Scholarship this year. The New York City high school seniors, who have been chosen for the programme this year, have overcome poverty, bullying, physical and mental health struggles, and family tragedies, reports The New York Times.

Samia Afrin and Lamia Haque of Bangladesh each will get $15,000 in financial assistance for each year of college. Since 1999, the scholarship program has helped put hundreds of students to pursue their higher studies.

Samia Afrin along with her family migrated to the United States from Bangladesh around 10 years back. Growing up in a lower-income Muslim family in Brooklyn, Afrin became passionate about fighting injustice, the report says.

She will study political science at the University of Rochester, becoming the first woman in her family to attend college.

"Whatever career path I end up taking, it will be very grounded in improving people's lives and making it easier," Afrin said.

Lamia Haque, as the eldest child in her family, had to pave a road for her younger siblings and learn how to navigate life in the United States for her parents.

Lamia said she spent much of her childhood searching for her voice. In high school, while writing opinion pieces on immigration for her student newspaper, she found it. She will attend Williams College in Massachusetts and wants to pursue a career in criminal law.

The other scholarship winners are —Jenifer Weng and Brian Zhang of China, Aima Ali of Pakistan, Enlik Tagasheva of Kazakhstan, Alex Koiv of Estonia, Jailene Sinchi of Ecuador, Danielle Knight and Nikole Rajgor of Bronx, New York, and Tigerlily Hopson and Jelyse Williams, 18, of New York City.

Like the two Bangladeshis, all the scholarship shared a common goal to create a brighter future, not just for themselves, but for their families and communities.

The scholarship programme, which is supported by public contributions and an endowment fund, will provide each of the students with $15,000 in financial assistance for each year of college.