Double whammy for Shammi!

An engineering student’s dream comes true this week as she graduates from Bangor University.

Shammi Rahman, 21, from Dhaka, Bangladesh graduated with a first-class BEng Electronic Engineering degree, and also won the Dr John Robert Jones Prize of £600, which is awarded annually to the best students across all disciplines at the University.

Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Shammi attended English medium schools and grew up speaking and reading English. She has always wanted to study in the UK and claims the day she was granted her student visa as “one of the best days” of her life.

Shammi explains: “Coming to the UK was very exciting. Bangor University itself was so much better than I ever imagined it would be. I have had so many new experiences here. The last three years of my course has been truly exhilarating.

“It seemed like a very inviting city from my online research. Bangor University has a good reputation, and as a future researcher it seemed like a great place to start. Moreover, I was given a £5,000 International Student Scholarship which made the decision much easier.

“I made sure that I took up as many opportunities as possible, which included a role as an international student ambassador and a peer guide for two years. They were enjoyable experiences. I also volunteered as an ELCOS summer buddy during my first summer here, which was an awesome experience. I got to visit many beautiful places in North Wales while helping the students enrolled on the English course. During my third year I became president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Student Society.

“During my third year, I completed an undergraduate internship which was arranged by the Careers and Employability Service. The whole experience was very enlightening, I learnt a lot and got a lot of hands-on experience. The internship played a very positive role in my acquiring a PhD position at University of Leeds where I will be starting in September.

“I learnt so much and met a lot of people. Most importantly, my time at Bangor University cemented my decision to pursue a career in research. My lecturers were very encouraging and I would probably not have tried as hard if it were not for them. Also, I met my husband in Bangor University and we got married in Bangor, which was definitely the best part!

“I’m really excited about graduating, and I cannot wait to be an official engineer!”

Publication date: 16 July 2018