My Baggage to and From Oxford – Zahid Shashoto
We asked our scholars to go back to the moment they packed their luggage in preparation for their journey to Oxford. But instead of clothes and books, we asked them to think about the stories, people, memories, hopes, and all immaterial things that they would put inside. We also wanted to know what they would probably like to add to their baggage when leaving Oxford. Find other stories in this series here.
Zahid with some community members in his town in Bangladesh
I began my Oxford application with the following sentences - “I grew up in the south west coastal region of Bangladesh, by a river name Kapotakkho. My parents would take me for walks by its banks during sunsets and would share their concerns about the impending death of the river, the disappearance of biodiversity and people becoming homeless. In the span of ten years, I witnessed their words turned into reality”. This will permanently be etched into my memory.
When I left my village for Oxford, more than a thousand people came to say goodbye, and their last words were “come back, come back for us”. The opportunity I have through the WHT scholarship is a privilege and a luxury for someone like me. Someone who has been working in a grassroot organization called Uttaran (Transition) immediately after graduation and wishes to continue to work for that organization and for that single community for the rest of his life. I want to see a change for the people of the south west coastal Bangladesh and I want to be a part of the whole journey, even if it takes all my life and abilities. My community has put their trust in me and Oxford is helping me to gain significant leverage. I hope to headlock home after my degree as I do not want to wait to share my experience and my newly acquired knowledge and help the 48% of the extremely poor people of my community.
