Youth Award 2016 10 rising stars who dared to dream

Aurona Sarker

The atmosphere inside Krishibid Institute Auditorium in Dhaka was very different in the afternoon of June 5. Hundreds of smiling young faces were eagerly waiting to meet the winners of Campus2Career Youth Award 2016, the 10 youths who dared to do something different and break the barriers that keep many away from their dreams.
Some of the 10 young leaders have already started their careers; some are still in their school uniforms. No matter which sector each of them belongs to, all of them share a common trait _ they are outliers. One of them is changing the traditional way of learning though online classes, another is promoting the history of Liberation War through games. One is making Bangladesh proud in cricket, another is working relentlessly to resist child marriage. They are all dreamers, and have made their dreams true.

And the winners are:

Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Captain, Bangladesh Under-19 Cricket Team

 

One of the most promising youngsters in Bangladesh cricket is Mehedi Hasan Miraz. An all-rounder, Miraz was recognised as ‘Player of the tournament’ in the last Youth World Cup Cricket hosted in Bangladesh. There, he became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to get three 50s in a row and secure five wickets three times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masha Mustakim, Game developer

 

BUET student Masha Mustakim and 10 of his friends had one dream _ creating games, but not any ordinary game. Together, they ddeveloped ‘Heroes of 71’, a unique game based on the history and context of our Liberation War. Mustakim and his friends have also started their own company, ‘Portbills’, to develop more games like ‘Heroes of 71’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keshab Roy, Winner, UN Youth Courage Award

 

The UN selected seven youths from all over the world for ‘Youth Courage Award for Education’ in 2013. Keshab Roy, then 18, was one of them. Keshab heads a children’s organisation in Nilphamari that works to prevent child marriages and drop outs from school. UN Secretary General’s special envoy for global education and former British prime minister, Gordon Brown, wrote to him: “Your actions demonstrate the power of youth to charge against discrimination, so that all young people can move from oppression to opportunity through the right to education.”

 

 

 

Sabina Yasmin Laboni, Photojournalist

 

Camera, scooter and Laboni _ a perfect combo that reflects how young women are breaking barriers in Bangladesh. A photojournalist at Bangla daily Prothom Alo, Laboni captures lives of common people, their emotions and stories with her camera. Several of her photo features became topics of national interest, including the one she did on Tofazzal, a victim of petrol bomb violence in 2013.

 

 

 

Ayman Sadiq, Co-founder, 10 Minutes School

 

Ayman has been working in the field of education and technology. His ‘10 minutes school’ is an online school that has video lectures on SSC, HSC and admission tests for several public universities, medical colleges and engineering institutes.

 

 

 

 

Ashim Chandra Roy, Cartoonist

 

Creating awe-inspiring art and caricatures is a piece of cake to Ashim. In 2005, he received the National Children’s Award and from then on, he has never looked back. He also received TIB Award for three years in a row for drawing cartoons against corruption.  

 

 

 

 

Moni Begum, Children’s representative at the UN

 

A student of class 10, Moni Begum got invited to attend the 70th General Convention at the UN as the only children’s representative from Bangladesh. Her father, Morom Ali, is a day labourer and mother, Haoa Begum, is a homemaker in the village of Ghorgaon under Kulaura upazila, Moulavibazar. Among six siblings, Moni is the youngest.

 

 

 

 

 

Jobaer Hossain Shuvo, CEO, Dream Weaver

 

Shuvo was an engineering student at Islamic Institute of Technology, but his hobby was photography. Finally, he chose passion over profession and co-founded ‘Dream Weaver’, a wedding photography agency. Now, he is an entrepreneurial icon and award-winning photographer.

 

 

 

 

 

Tahmina Shoili, Entrepreneur

 

Shoili loved wearing jewelries, loved to make them with her own hands, too. At one point, she thought of sharing her love for jewelry with others around her. That marked the beginning of handmade, exclusive, ethnic jewelry shop ‘Shoili’. The online shop has already started exporting jewelries to Europe, United States and other countries around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Brishti Shikdar, Successful student

 

In 2014, Brishti got accepted at Harvard University, Cambridge University, Massachusetts University of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Stanford University, Duke University _ a total of 14 top universities in the world. She decided to go to MIT, and now she is studying Computer Science and Engineering there. She has a perfect GPA (5 out of 5) at MIT.

 

 

Youth Award 2016 10 rising stars who dared to dream

Aurona Sarker The atmosphere inside Krishibid Institute Auditorium in Dhaka was very different in the afternoon of June 5. Hundreds of smiling young faces were eagerly waiting to meet the winners of Campus2Career Youth Award 2016, the 10 youths who dared to do something different and break the barriers that keep many away from their dreams. Some of the 10 young leaders have already started their careers; some are still in their school uniforms. No matter which sector each of them belongs to, all of them share a common trait _ they are outliers. One of them is changing the traditional way of learning though online classes, another is promoting the history of Liberation War through games. One is making Bangladesh proud in cricket, another is working relentlessly to resist child marriage. They are all dreamers, and have made their dreams true. And the winners are: Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Captain, Bangladesh Under-19 Cricket Team One of the most promising youngsters in Bangladesh cricket is Mehedi Hasan Miraz. An all-rounder, Miraz was recognised as Player of the tournament in the last Youth World Cup Cricket hosted in Bangladesh. There, he became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to get three 50s in a row and secure five wickets three times. Masha Mustakim, Game developer BUET student Masha Mustakim and 10 of his friends had one dream _ creating games, but not any ordinary game. Together, they ddeveloped Heroes of 71, a unique game based on the history and context of our Liberation War. Mustakim and his friends have also started their own company, Portbills, to develop more games like Heroes of 71. Keshab Roy, Winner, UN Youth Courage Award The UN selected seven youths from all over the world for Youth Courage Award for Education in 2013. Keshab Roy, then 18, was one of them. Keshab heads a childrens organisation in Nilphamari that works to prevent child marriages and drop outs from school. UN Secretary Generals special envoy for global education and former British prime minister, Gordon Brown, wrote to him: Your actions demonstrate the power of youth to charge against discrimination, so that all young people can move from oppression to opportunity through the right to education. Sabina Yasmin Laboni, Photojournalist Camera, scooter and Laboni _ a perfect combo that reflects how young women are breaking barriers in Bangladesh. A photojournalist at Bangla daily Prothom Alo, Laboni captures lives of common people, their emotions and stories with her camera. Several of her photo features became topics of national interest, including the one she did on Tofazzal, a victim of petrol bomb violence in 2013. Ayman Sadiq, Co-founder, 10 Minutes School Ayman has been working in the field of education and technology. His 10 minutes school is an online school that has video lectures on SSC, HSC and admission tests for several public universities, medical colleges and engineering institutes. Ashim Chandra Roy, Cartoonist Creating awe-inspiring art and caricatures is a piece of cake to Ashim. In 2005, he received the National Childrens Award and from then on, he has never looked back. He also received TIB Award for three years in a row for drawing cartoons against corruption. Moni Begum, Childrens representative at the UN A student of class 10, Moni Begum got invited to attend the 70th General Convention at the UN as the only childrens representative from Bangladesh. Her father, Morom Ali, is a day labourer and mother, Haoa Begum, is a homemaker in the village of Ghorgaon under Kulaura upazila, Moulavibazar. Among six siblings, Moni is the youngest. Jobaer Hossain Shuvo, CEO, Dream Weaver Shuvo was an engineering student at Islamic Institute of Technology, but his hobby was photography. Finally, he chose passion over profession and co-founded Dream Weaver, a wedding photography agency. Now, he is an entrepreneurial icon and award-winning photographer. Tahmina Shoili, Entrepreneur Shoili loved wearing jewelries, loved to make them with her own hands, too. At one point, she thought of sharing her love for jewelry with others around her. That marked the beginning of handmade, exclusive, ethnic jewelry shop Shoili. The online shop has already started exporting jewelries to Europe, United States and other countries around the world. Brishti Shikdar, Successful student In 2014, Brishti got accepted at Harvard University, Cambridge University, Massachusetts University of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Stanford University, Duke University _ a total of 14 top universities in the world. She decided to go to MIT, and now she is studying Computer Science and Engineering there. She has a perfect GPA (5 out of 5) at MIT.