Walwala Bashir grew up in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. Balochistan is the largest and resource-rich province of Pakistan. Balochistan is the most beautiful province of talented people.
The province has an old history and rich civilisation. Even though the province has many natural resources, Balochistan is still a poor province. The gap between Balochistan’s potential and its lack of development in daily life was very clear for Walwala Bashir.
As a woman, Walwala Bashir faced this lack of opportunities herself — and saw that women had it even harder. Being a woman affected everything: who could speak, who could study, and who was allowed to be part of decisions.
“I was always surrounded by a cultural setup where women were designated or attached to a few roles,” says Walwala Bashir.
Walwala Bashir during her undergraduate years
Walwala Bashir is a talented individual, as she decided to change the academic environment in her university. During her undergraduate studies in Balochistan, Walwala Bashir decided to engage more women in student leadership.
She took multiple initiatives and organised different events in her university where more female students from a traditional background were involved. Her message was clear to the young women of Balochistan: if she can, so can you.
“The goal was always the same: I wanted more women to be in education, because education for women is not a priority in the region,” Walwala Bashir says.
Walwala Bashir’s journey from Balochistan to US
After a month of finishing her undergraduate studies in Balochistan, Walwala Bashir went to the United States (US) to start her master’s degree in Public Policy at McCourt School of Public Policy. It was the first time that Walawala Bashir was leaving Balochistan, Pakistan.
She also explained her struggle in the US. “It was really a very transformative journey,” Walwala Bashir said. “I was doing everything on my own for the first time — navigating the city, finding housing, everything.”
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