Below are some of the stories I wrote and reported for VOA Urdu's Campus series. I also produced and edited these videos. In 2009, Urdu Service awarded me a certificate of appreciation for my original contributions to this series.
Bullying on campus remains a major problem, leading to depression, social withdrawal and, sometimes, suicide. What can parents and educators do to prevent bullying in school? I enlisted the aid of some education experts to help answer these and other questions.
What kind of research opportunities are available to students on college campuses? I visited the University of Irvine in California to find out how some students are breaking new ground in college labs and elsewhere.
When the Objectivist Society at the American University invited Daniel Pipes, a scholar as well-known for his anti-Islam views as he is for lambasting peer-reviewed social and religious studies journals, to speak on extremism in Islam, they may well have anticipated some response from the Muslim students on campus. I visited American University on the eve of the event to witness the campus' Muslim students stage a respectful expression of dissent to Daniel Pipe's lecture, and to speak to some of the moderating, calming influences behind the students at the protest.
Imran Jadoon from Corcoran University speaks about the important role faculty advisors play in guiding the trajectory of a student's education, and even career paths.
Finding work on campus can be a challenge, but the right job can be very rewarding and lead to other opportunities for enterprising students. Mohsin Ali, who works 28 hours a week at the Washington College of Law at the American University talked to me about his work experience on campus, and how he balances work, study and life.
Do private schools in the United States really provide a higher-quality education than public schools? I talked to education policy experts in DC to find out if, and how, public schools can turn their image around.
No Child Left Behind was intended to ensure a high quality of education in schools across the United States, so that no child would be left behind in opportunities afforded by a good schooling. But it may have had some unintended consequences. I spoke to education policy wonks in DC in a quest to understand just what went wrong, and how it could be fixed.
The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2021 caused a series of subsequent disasters that multiplied human and economic costs in their wake. This, even as research was under way for more earthquake-resistant technology and building techniques. At the University of California at Irvine, I visited a lab developing cutting edge material combination techniques that could help mitigate damage from future earthquakes.
International students eager to apply to US colleges are often faced with what seems to be an impossible choice: Where should they apply? International student advisers at the American University walk prospective students through the process they should follow to find out exactly what colleges and universities will help them achieve their education goals.
When students from many different cultures and backgrounds from around the world come together on one campus, misunderstandings are bound to happen. Tempers are sure to flare. And students may find themselves emotionally adrift. Student associations can provide that support network international students might need when faced with social or cultural challenges. I sat down with some board members of the Muslim Student Association at the American University to find out how they help students navigate the challenges of life on campus, and how they have helped Muslim students deal with discrimination on campus post-9/11.
Study hard, then relax just as hard! Students at the University of California at Irvine are encouraged to do just that, by joining a club, or several, on campus. I spoke to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, who said it's important for students to keep in touch with their home cultures even as they become part of the student body.
International students don't qualify for financial aid and must rely on scholarships and paid opportunities on campus to support themselves. The office of financial aid at UC Irvine has several awareness and application programs to help students find out what kind of scholarships or work they qualify for, and apply.
I sat down with an amazing group of teachers visiting Pakistan through the USAID technical exchange program, to chat about what they saw, what they learned from -- and taught-- their American colleagues. And, perhaps most important, what innovations they plan to introduce to their own teaching toolkits back home.
