Anahita Aman (Class of 2020): Building on her Academy experiences to pursue international development

Anahita Aman, a graduate of the Class of 2020, studied at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad for eight years. Currently pursuing history at the University College London, she hopes to build a career in international development.

Having spent her fundamental years at the Academy in Hyderabad, Anahita credits the Academy for shaping her into who she is today, not just as a person, but in her interests and career choices as well. Anahita lived in the residences on campus, and she misses that feeling of knowing everyone and the close-knit community, “which is hard to find in college when you are an international student in a different country,” she expressed.

Anahita appreciates the opportunities provided to her at the Academy, such as the creativity, activity, service initiatives she pursued along with the internship programme she participated in, which strengthened her application to her current field of study at university. She believes the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes at the Academy helped her explore more about who she is as a person.

“Even though you are working in criteria and a certain structure, you still have the space to express your viewpoint."

The one experience from the Academy in Hyderabad that firmly stuck with Anahita was the Model United Nations (MUN) club, in which she served as the secretary-general for the 2019-2020 academic year. MUN taught her a lot in terms of management, planning, communication, leadership and even finance as you work towards an event dealing with multiple stakeholders in the Academy. Known for her calm nature, Anahita was a completely different person in the MUN.

“That was a fun thing, I never knew that side of me existed until I was put into the position. I didn’t know if I could do it but when you are in the atmosphere and put in that position I think some part of you just takes charge. That’s a new side of me that I saw, which boosted my confidence because I realised I could lead people if I needed to and it was a great thing.”

Anahita calls the Academy a second home, practically growing up there. She believes the IB, teachers, the residences and her friends helped and impacted her in more ways than one and have had a significant impact on who she is today.