From West Ham to LA: now a young engineer wants to inspire pupils to aim high

An East End scholar who gained a £200,000 scholarship to the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology is hoping to inspire others to comply with in her footsteps as she will get prepared to begin a job as a scientist in Los Angeles.

Tafsia Shikdar, 21, from West Ham earned a funded place on an engineering course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the place astronaut Buzz Aldrin studied, three years in the past.

The former Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (NCS) scholar thrived throughout her time on the American college, captaining the talk and ice hockey group and scoring a powerful 4.4 GPA grade.

She has now began her personal tutoring and educational counselling enterprise – Beyond Exams – which goals to assist different kids from underprivileged backgrounds achieve entry to prime universities.

Tafsia has launched her personal tutoring and educational counselling enterprise.

Tafsia has additionally accepted a job as an affiliate scientist at Beyond Meat in LA in July.

The dedicated vegan, who specialises in biomaterials, mentioned she is “very excited to start” on the firm, which specialises in creating meat alternate options.

She added: “Being a scholar and now a graduate of MIT opens up a entire new world that a woman from Plaistow wouldn’t have been uncovered to.

“The expertise you get from dwelling in America, from merely leaving your individual bubble, be it Plaistow, London or England, is one that each one young folks ought to attempt to expertise”.

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The former Newham Collegiate Sixth Form scholar captaining the ice hockey group.

NCS has since helped a additional 5 college students win locations to Ivy League universities within the US, together with three final 12 months.

Tafsia returned to her former faculty to discuss to Ivy League candidates whereas on breaks from MIT and now hopes to help social mobility in her neighborhood.

She mentioned: “I really need my story to be an inspiration to the folks from Newham. The drawback right here has by no means been expertise, it has been perception.

“What the NCS has carried out has actually damaged the mould as a result of earlier than I gained my place at MIT, the concept the working-class college students from East London might win locations to the perfect US universities was not on anybody’s radar.

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“Since I left there have been one other 5 college students going to Ivy League universities. It’s an unbelievable achievement that wants to be replicated in areas like Newham all around the nation. Most American universities will present funds, so don’t be petrified of that. Just apply.

“I’ve launched a tutoring counselling enterprise known as Beyond Exams. I hope that I might help extra young folks obtain their goals through this. We aim to supply free educational counselling and tutoring periods for college students in want.

“I supply periods to discuss to young folks about their potential futures, and the way they could go about attaining their goals, and assist them with any functions.”

NCS headteacher Mouhssin Ismail added: “Tafsia is really an inspiration to the young folks of this neighborhood.

“She has not solely set the usual of what might be achieved with laborious work and dedication she has additionally given up her time to help our scholarship programme and her fellow college students comply with in her footsteps. We couldn’t be prouder of her achievements.”

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