Aasma Aziz ‘18G traveled all the way from Pakistan to pursue her dream of higher education. While she’s experienced some struggles along the way, she has been able to overcome and ultimately created One Little Light, a non-profit in Pakistan that empowers women, supports children’s education, and creates scholarship opportunities.
BY PEACE OTEBELE
Coming from a place where women have few educational opportunities, little career freedom, and are limited by cultural expectations, Aasma Aziz ’18G has made it her mission to break the barrier of gender inequality.
For Aasma, who identifies as Christian minority in Pakistan, the educational journey has been a long and arduous one. From the beginning, she struggled to persuade her parents that higher education was worthwhile, but they ultimately supported her fight. Knowing the injustices women and girls face in Pakistan, Aasma chose to study political science with a plan to become a lawyer and to work for women’s rights. Growing up in Akbarabad, Pakistan, she became the first woman in her town to earn a graduate degree at a co-ed university.
With her master’s in political science, she researched education programs in the United States and determined that pursuing a second master’s degree, this one in social work, would be needed to achieve her goal. And even though she was fluent in several languages, Aasma recognized it would be essential to learn English. By watching YouTube videos, she mastered English within a year. Afterwards, she began applying to American universities with strong social work programs.
Aasma was accepted at several schools, but chose Salem State when administrators at the Center for International Education assisted her with the challenging and seemingly endless paperwork necessary for international students to study in America. That made her final decision easy, so Aasma boarded a Massachusetts-bound plane in August 2015.
The Aziz family had business connections with a family in Massachusetts and arranged for Aasma to live with them while she attended Salem State. The host family agreed to pay her tuition in exchange for providing employment at a business they ran. But when Aasma arrived, she was faced with a different reality. “I waited for three hours at the airport but there was no one there for me, no one came for me,” Aasma said.
Alone, tired, but optimistic, she was finally picked up by the host family as a result of her parents’ request. Upon arriving at their home, Aasma’s luggage was left in the garage, and after breakfast the next morning, she was told she had to leave. Due to religious differences, the local family decided they didn’t want Aasma to stay at their home.
A family member then told one of the business employees to drop her off somewhere, anywhere. However, the employee was unable to find shelter for Aasma. She returned to the host family with the agreement that she could stay for just two more days.
Aasma was then dropped off at Salem State University, where administrators arranged for her to stay on campus during orientation and then helped her find a church that could assist her with living arrangements.
Next came the challenge of paying her tuition. But, as is her nature, Aasma made a plan. She babysat, sold goods from Pakistan and was offered a student employee position on campus. This helped her make just enough to pay for tuition and living costs.
Studies were another challenge, as classes are much different than in Pakistan. However, her English has improved, and she better understands the requirements in her courses.
“In my 20-plus years as a social work educator, supervisor, and practitioner, Aasma stands out as a top student, leader and social justice activist,” said Yvonne Ruiz, Salem State associate professor of social work.
Monica Leisey, associate professor and program coordinator for the School of Social Work at Salem State had this to say: “She’s extraordinarily dedicated to making things work under circumstances that most of us would have said it’s just not possible.”
Since arriving in Salem, Aasma has jumped into campus and community activities. She has spoken at several Salem State and community events and shared her experiences of resilience and determination. She has organized campaigns to raise funds for school supplies for unfunded schools in her home town in Pakistan. She has also joined the fight to end homelessness and hunger.
Most importantly, Aasma founded One Little Light (onelittlelight.org), a nonprofit in Pakistan focused on empowering women, supporting children’s education and creating scholarship opportunities. One Little Light provides financial and social support for women, such as sewing projects and entrepreneurship, that will help them become financially independent. The nonprofit is supporting education by providing school supplies without which children would be unable to attend school. Another aspect is providing scholarships to higher education students in both Pakistan and the U.S.
“I started One Little Light because I want homes in Pakistan to not be filled with women who think they are only made to be housewives. I want to give girls the opportunity to dream of another life where they can be whatever they want without thinking their gender disqualified them from that future,” said Aasma.
For her hard work and dedication to her cause, Aasma is a recipient of the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Scholarship awarded by the American Association of University Women. She received the Youth Champion Award for advocating for justice on behalf of young women from a Pakistani non-governmental organization, and a community service recognition from the Punjab government in Pakistan.
Aasma is in the process of registering One Little Light in the U.S. and hopes to one day bring the nonprofit to other countries. “Aasma demonstrates dedication to her future goals,” said Professor Ruiz. “She has insight and aptitude beyond her years, which is a solid foundation for academic achievement and for practice in her chosen profession.”
In her little free time, Aasma hosts a campus radio show sharing the victory stories of other students, and she speaks regularly about her struggle to earn an education to inspire others. She enjoys attending the Salem State Cultural Night organized by the University’s Center for International Education.
“Becoming, and continuing as an international student is my greatest achievement to date,” she said. “I am thankful to my kind parents who saw the potential in me and allowed me to achieve my dreams. I am also very thankful for the generosity of Salem State University. Without them, I don’t think I would have made it this far.”
Ashley Festa and Michael Colaneri contributed to this article.
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