Khuzaima's Once-In-A-Lifetime Educational Opportunity

Hello! My name is Jamail Khan. I am a graduate student at Harvard University and I am raising funds for my friend and mentee, Khuzaima Nizami. A GoFundMe cannot be started in Pakistan which is why I have set up this account for Khuzaima. Below is Khuzaima's story in his own words:

Hello everyone!

My name is Khuzaima Nizami, and I am finishing up my sophomore year at Habib University, Karachi. I’m betting on your kindness and support to fulfill my dream of studying Anthropology at University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley). Habib University has partnered with UC Berkeley to provide deserving students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue a summer study abroad program at America’s top ranked public university, renowned for its cutting edge research and academics.

I come from a very humble background. My father runs a small advertisement business. My father was shot in 2012 during the ethnic riots in Karachi. Although he recovered, the event had a considerable psychological impact on my family. Our problems gravely multiplied when my mother was diagnosed with cancer at the start of COVID-19 in 2020. During this time, our house was also flooded amidst monsoon rainstorms, and my father lost nearly all his clientele due to lockdown. We depleted our savings to cover my mother's medical expenses, and after her passing in 2021, we were left with crippling debt.

Just when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I was appearing for my O-Levels examinations (grades 10 and 11). I pulled through with outstanding grades. Due to my family’s crippling financial situation, I started working as a freelancer, while being a full-time student and taking care of my dying mother. My mother passed away right when I was appearing for the first year of A-level examinations (12th grade). Still, I strove to build a competitive portfolio and got straight A*s in my A-levels.

I got admission into the top Liberal Arts university in Pakistan, Habib University, with a 75% merit scholarship. I opted for anthropology because of Pakistan’s dire necessity to foster cultural understanding and inclusivity, specifically because of the multicultural hub that Pakistan is. Being a full-time student, in addition to working a full-time job, I constantly strive to apply my education for community work, such as running an awareness campaign for the Khwajasira community (a deeply marginalized intersex and transgender community) in Karachi. The campaign aims at shedding light on the familial structure of Khwajasira communities in Pakistan that manifest in the form of Guru-Chela (Teacher-Student) relationships in an attempt to humanize transgender and intersex experiences in the eyes of the general public. You can learn more about the campaign on our instagram page @Khwajasira_awarenesscampaign. Moreover, I have been a part of conducting field research on architectural oppression of marginalized communities, and have conducted Human Centered Design in major markets of Karachi to tackle climate change.

However, the problem is that although Pakistan is rich soil for anthropological scholarship given its wide spectrum of cultures and ethnicities, the country has very few academic opportunities and resources to offer. With the offer to study at UC Berkeley, the opportunity to develop my skills and expertise in anthropology is right in front of me. I have an opportunity to learn from the best of the best and ultimately be of service to the millions of people around me who are stuck in non-inclusive and oppressive structures of power.

Given my current financial circumstances, I am unable to support my passion for pursuing anthropology abroad. Moreover, I should mention that this is my only chance to study abroad since this program is only open to college sophomores. This is where your help would be tremendously appreciated! The full program costs $12,400. I have won a merit scholarship that covers 50% of the cost. Thus, I only have to raise $6,200 for the program, plus personal expenses, which would be an additional $600. The deadline for accepting/declining the offer is May 5th 2024.

Your support will not only help me pursue my passion for anthropology but also secure a better future for my family and the millions of people around me in need of cultural inclusivity. I will be forever grateful for any contribution you can make toward my goal!

Sincerely,

Khuzaima Nizami

Program Dates: June 17th - August 9th 2024

Funds Breakdown:

Application Fee: $25.00

Registration Fee: $550.00

Document Management Fee: $68.00

Tuition Fee for 6 units ($595/unit): $4165.00

Housing Application Fee: $50.00

Housing and Meal Plan (International House, double occupancy room): $4,560.00

Health Insurance: $450.00

Roundtrip Karachi-US Airfare (estimated): $1,600.00

F1 Visa Fee: $185.00

SEVIS Fee: $350.00

Airport Transfer: $100.00

Books and Supplies: $300.00

Personal Expenses: $600

TOTAL COST (estimated): $13,003

Note: GofundMe is charging a transaction fee of about $200, hence we need to take that into account.

Pakistan Bank Account Information:

UBL Bank Account

Owner: Muhammad Khuzaima Nizami

Account number: 0213304266984

IBAN Number: PK76UNIL0109000304266984

Branch: Ameen Shahrah e Faisal

Branch code: 0213

Sadapay Account:

Title: Muhammad Khuzaima Nizami

Account number: 03352714497