A Pakistani girl, Khansa Maria, with a visual damage, is proud of Pakistan when she received the Rhodes Trust Scholarship 2021 to earn a master's degree from the University of Oxford next fall.
Khansa Maria is from Lahore and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Qatar.
Khansa, who also works at the US Embassy in Qatar, advocates for the rights of people with disabilities and creates accessible communities to ensure inclusivity.
Sarah Abdussalam researched a political movement and Khansa Maria explored representations of disability in India and Pakistan. #hoyasaxa
— Georgetown Qatar (@GUQatar) April 1, 2021
To this end, the sole recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship has hosted several conferences and talked about inclusion and inclusive policy.
In her second year, she received a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), which allowed her to explore the barriers affecting the inclusion of people with disabilities in Qatar's workforce, the Rhodes Trust said on its website.
Her honorary work focuses on the development of the disability rights movement in post-colonial South Asia and how it has shaped the representation of people with disabilities.
On campus, Khansa runs several clubs, including the Georgetown Debating Union and the South Asian Society.
In Oxford, Khansa hopes to continue his study of public policy and social intervention. Khansa hopes to work on inclusive policy making and capacity building for disabled communities in Pakistan.
