Nudrat Hussain Khan, a World Bank Scholar who studied on our LLM in International Economic Law from 2007-2008, was selected by the British Council to share her experience of studying at Warwick Law School and the adversity she faced to get here. Her inspiring story was featured in the March 2020 issue of their Study UK Magazine. Here she provides a condensed version for the Law School. Read Nudrat's full article on pages 29-30 of the digital magazine.

"Living and studying in the UK has shaped my personality in more ways than one. The freedom of getting on to a bus all by myself, doing groceries, walking and laughing in the rain without being judged are some of the little but most cherished memories. The beauty of England is not only that it provides opportunities to explore her own people and places; it lets you be friends with people from all over the world. I have formed life-long friendships with English, European, Indian, American, Spanish and so many people of other regions. This exposure has hugely impacted my work performance as a commercial diplomat.

"The five senses are fully tantalized in the UK. Scones with strawberry jam were a love at first bite; Tesco express midnight binges; learning to greet everyone ‘y alright’; libraries at every turn, jacket potato vendors, beautiful dogs and lovely parks and peaceful churches, English Tea Pot for all and sundry, potlucks and knitting Trauma Teddys for Syrian Refugees. Not to mention morning horse-back rides and afternoon teas!

"The United Kingdom is the best demonstration of tolerance and acceptance. It is the country of random kindness, where I learnt to balance stand in an underground while reading a newspaper, cheered on by random daily commuters. The place that taught me to enjoy being a nobody and unashamedly myself. The country that gave my husband and I our first German Shepherd family member called Jasper.

"During my studies, I had elected to keep varied modules such as gender, global economy, environment and labour laws to tackle these issues in an effective manner back home. Graduating with a distinction and coming back home with lots of love and friends is one amazing voyage. Being accepted as a Doctoral studies candidate was humbling. Teachers like Professor Alan Neal and Ms Ann Stewart, all law school staff made it remarkable.

"The tale of the dreamy girl, on the back of a mountain gelding in a far-flung remote area called Quetta, told by a somewhat sad, but strong woman is the one I would never tire telling my grandchildren.

"Today as a USAID Women Leaders in Trade Policy alumni, Acumen Fellow and World bank scholar, and after gazillion trainings and travels, I assumed charged as Director General, Punjab (the first female, hoping to pave the way for many more), I owe all my strength to break the glass ceiling to my UK experience. Every time, I am invited as a success story or a motivational speaker, I look back at this daunting journey and the long road ahead with very fond memories of my UK sojourn. It remains my pride, my passion and my pain.

"I have had 30 plus research papers and articles published on the modules that I chose for my LLM in England, and have contributed in initiating developmental projects for women entrepreneurship development, child labour elimination, participatory leadership, and market intelligence. As I climb the corporate ladder, I see myself in positions of additional responsibilities in international economic law divisions of the government and feel confident that my UK qualification and the experience has equipped me to make a difference!

"To all aspiring students in the UK: Learn to carry an umbrella. Mine kept on being swept away with the wind throughout, with me hanging onto my cap for dear life."