Help First Generation Student Accepted to Oxford

*UPDATE* Thank you for the outpour of support! The first checkpoint has been reached thanks to your generosity! Since my tuition for the two years will cost over $90,000, I upped the fundraising goal.

Note: My total cost to attend Oxford per year is in pounds

Sarah Rana is a Pakistani Muslim first-generation student and activist, accepted into Oxford's prestigious post-grad program in Area Studies to pursue a career and research in human rights for Muslim minorities. Sarah has a passion in human rights and helping her Muslim community but that change cannot happen if Muslims like Sarah do not have the chance to pursue higher education at schools like Oxford due to low socio-economic status. If she does not show Oxford that she has enough money to attend, her offer of acceptance will be rescinded.

Despite the financial hurdles Sarah has faced her entire life, including chronically ill family members who were unable to support her early education, she has maintained excellent grades and community involvement. From a young age, she became involved in student advocacy for accessible education. In her last year of college, she was elected as vice-president of the University of Toronto undergrad student body, representing over 38,000 students, to remove barriers in education especially for students of colour. She contributed to case studies interviewing Muslim genocide victims and was part of an advisory team to Canada M-62 Motion to resettle 10,000 Turkic Muslim refugee minorities into Canada.

The cost of Oxford would be 47k per year for two years total in Sarah’s MPhil program. She would need over $90,000 to afford Oxford, without living costs included. Any amount fundraised will go a long way in helping fund this education.

My story:

Sarah’s parents immigrated to Canada in pursuit of a better life after subsequent wars in Pakistan. Living between America and Canada, kids would ask Sarah where she was from and where her parents studied, but she never had a clear cut answer. One day her parents finally admitted that due to the high cost, they had never pursued a college education In addition to not speaking fluent English,t hey sacrificed their dreams to bring Sarah’s to fruition. Sarah's parents are also chronically ill. Her father has a dangerous heart condition, so Sarah has made sure to always fund her own education independently.

Sarah's circumstances motivated her to pursue a higher education so she could become the first in her family to study and secure a better future for them all.

For her entire life, Sarah financed her school by herself through multiple jobs, and to support her other siblings. She worked as a waitress, a part-time tutor, and a public-speaking coach. She also worked with none-for-profits and government organizations in Muslim human rights for three years. When it came to learning, to finance what her jobs couldn’t pay for, she secured loans because she believed in the value of education. Even now, Sarah’s extended family are unable to access higher education after immigrating, drive taxis and Ubers in low-funded neighbourhoods. Her wish is to change her future and provide for those around her.

As a Muslim, Sarah faced discrimination in classes. Growing up, she was the only south-asian Muslim girl in many schools. In college, she had to move out of her residence because of immense Islamophobia from peers who did not respect the fact that she wore the hijab. Despite these hardships, she persevered and continued her education.

My Goals

Going to Oxford is not only about Sarah’s education. This is about the opportunity to attend a school where people who look like Sarah are frequently not afforded a chance. Less than 20 people are accepted into Sarah’s program each year. She intends on using her degree to work in Canadian government policy, in trade, development, and human rights. She has four years of background working in human rights lobbying and development policy. Pursuing a masters degree will help qualify Sarah for full time policy work in the government, to give back to her community and make Canada a safer place for minorities.

Together, we can make a difference and show that higher education should be accessible to all, regardless of their financial background.

Every donation no matter what amount goes a long way. Thank you for contributing to Sarah’s campaign.