Naseemah Mohamed awarded Rhodes Scholarship

AAAS graduate Naseemah Mohamed '12 has been named a Rhodes Scholar, awarded for her outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service. Naseemah wrote a Social Engagement thesis about the educational program that she founded— the Ziolonge Arts-Literacy Project in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. 

Working with Doris Sommer in Boston through the Cultural Agents Initiative, Naseemah gained firsthand knowledge of the use of the arts for educational skills enhancement.  Naseemah studied the unique features and challenges of African education for the purpose of improving high school education in Bulawayo, a region marked by high unemployment.  Her senior thesis masterfully describes how she brought together teachers, artists, and students based on a new pedagogy that encouraged creative and critical thinking skills, as well as new bonds of respect between teacher and student.  Naseemah set out to change not only the way students learn but to instill in them a love of learning for its own sake. 

For more information about Naseemah and the Rhodes Scholarship, please see her profile on the Rhodes website: http://www.rhodesscholarshiptrust.com/rhodes-scholars-elect-class-of-2013/naseemah-mohamed