Visually Impaired Student Khansa Maria Wins Oxford Scholarship

22 year old ambitious student and activist Khansa Maria has successfully achieved a Rhodes Trust Scholarship 2021 for Oxford University and has achieved a major milestone while working with her disability. Khansa is currently attending Georgetown University campus located in Qatar to complete her bachelor degree. She is currently pursuing a degree in Foreign Service along with minor in culture and politics.

Khansa has worked hard throughout her academic career as she gained a grant by Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) which helped her study the troubles faced by people with disabilities who were in Qatari workforce. She takes part in clubs and campus activities at her university such as South Asian Society and Georgetown Debating Union. She also secured position as a campus leader and participated in the Hoya Leadership Pathway. Khansa plans to study further in social intervention and public policy and also hopes to start working on making inclusive policies and building capacity for the community of people with disabilities in Pakistan.

Khansa spoke to VOA saying, “I do have a disability, I am blind, and I firsthand experienced the impacts of not having an inclusive society.” She continued to express her commitment to her goals, “I do have a certain responsibility to my community to improve things to the extent that I can or at least lend my skills or my experience to the benefit of future blind people from Pakistan.”