Foundation of the Sir Syed Scholar Award
The Sir Syed Global Scholar Award (SSGSA) is annually administered by the Sir Syed Education Society of North America, a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization. The award is offered to students and alumni of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) from all faculties.
This award was first given in 2006 as the Sir Syed Excellence in Science Award to serve the needs of AMU Students interested in achieving higher education in the United States. It was designed to provide AMU students and alumni with financial assistance towards standardized tests and application fees, and personalized mentoring throughout the process from selection of universities to refining personal essays and resumes. Under the SSGSA program, so far over 120 AMU students have been successfully placed at various prestigious universities around the world.
SSGSA has a committed team of volunteers who mentor students and work with them for up to two years before students successfully secure a position in a Master’s or PhD program. These volunteers who mentor students are experts in their field. After starting their degrees, the awardees often become mentors to other incoming students. SSGSA sincerely believes that such a practice creates an environment of grander participation and will result in a greater number of mentors to help AMU students.
Several AMU faculty members, researchers, and company executives are also part of the SSGSA network. In the past, many have delivered seminars, webinars, workshops and presentations under the SSGSA banner to introduce AMU students to opportunities of higher education abroad. In addition to increased exposure, these events are helpful in keeping students motivated throughout the application process that is long, tedious and expensive. Many students get distracted and move elsewhere due to lack of continuous motivation. The SSGSA team aims to identify meritorious students, empower them with knowledge and financial assistance, and help them to fulfill their ambition of higher education by keeping them focused with continued engagement.
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By supporting students, you are becoming an active participant in building their careers. All donations and contributions directly sponsor the attempts of talented students to secure admission in an MS/PhD program at a university of international repute. You can easily cancel or upgrade your contribution at any time.
Mission
The SSGSA team strives hard to further the cause of the Aligarh Muslim University on two fronts:
- Mentoring and financially supporting meritorious students so they are successful in getting admission at prestigious graduate programs across the globe.
- Expanding our strong formal network of academic mentors who also function as brand ambassadors of AMU at their respective universities and organisations where they are placed after finishing their studies.
Members
Executive Committee
Dr. Sabahuddin Ahmad
Co-Chair
SSGSA ISRA Scholar 2014-15
Jülich Research Centre
Jülich, NRW, Germany
Ms. Rabia Omar
Co-Chair
SSGSA Scholar 2020-21
Indiana University, Bloomington
Bloomington, IN, USA
Mr. Syed Ali Rizvi
Co-Founder
Resolv Corporation
Boston, MA, USA
Dr. Saif Sheikh
Co-Founder
Jina Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Chicago, IL, USA
Dr. Rehan Baqri
Co-Founder
Sanofi
Boston, MA, USA
Dr. Shaida Andrabi
Co-Founder
University of Kashmir
Srinagar, J&K, India
Application Team
Mr. Ahmad Faraz Badar
Team Lead
SSGSA Scholar 2019-20
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI, USA
Mentorship Team
Mr. Faisal Bashir Wani
Team Lead
SSGSA Scholar 2018-19
University College London
London, United Kingdom
Mr. Pradeep Kumar
SSGSA Scholar 2020-21
General Motors
Markham, ON, Canada
Mr. Burhani Taher Saifuddin
SSGSA Scholar 2020-21
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK, USA
Technical Team
Mr. Himanshu Varandani
Team Lead
Grid Dynamics
Bengaluru, KA, India
Mr. Roshan Sharma
Glints
Singapore
Mr. Prajjwal Nijhara
Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur
Jodhpur, India
Mr. Dhruv Maheshwari
SSGSA Scholar 2022-23
Amazon.com, Inc.
Seattle, WA, USA
Communication & Webinar Team
Mr. Haaris Safdari
Team Lead
SSGSA Scholar 2016-17
University of Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany
Ms. Mahwish Zaman
SSGSA Scholar 2022-23
Bengaluru City University
Bengaluru, KA, India
Ms. Mariyam Abbas
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI, USA
Ms. Oroosa Anwar
SSGSA Scholar 2020-21
University of Bristol
England, UK
Mr. Abbas Syed Nooruddin
SSGSA Scholar 2022-23
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ, USA
Finance Team
Mr. Danish Alam
Team Lead
SSGSA Scholar 2021-22
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Mr. Mohammad Irfan
SSGSA Scholar 2019-20
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Mr. Mohammed Mohi Uddin
SSGSA Scholar 2022-23
University of Georgia
Athens, GA, USA
Advisory Board
Leadership History
Chairpersons
Dr. Shaida Andrabi
SSGSA Co-Founder
Srinagar, J&K, India
2006-2008
Dr. Rehan Baqri
SSGSA Co-Founder
Boston, MA, USA
2008-2011
Dr. Saif Sheikh
SSGSA Co-Founder
Chicago, IL, USA
2011-2013
Dr. Mohsin Khan
SSGSA Scholar 2008-09
Providence, RI, USA
2013-2016
Mr. Ali Muzaffar
SSGSA Scholar 2013-14
Alpharetta, GA, USA
2016-2019
Dr. Wasikul Islam
SSGSA Scholar 2014-15
Madison, WI, USA
2019-2021
Dr. Salman Bin Kashif
SSGSA Scholar 2014-15
Buffalo, NY, USA
2021-2023
Mr. Sachin Gupta
SSGSA Scholar 2017-18
Boston, MA, USA
2023-2025
Dr. Sajad Shiekh
SSGSA Scholar 2016-17
Montreal, QC, Canada
2023-2025
