10. Nadir Shah
Sponsor Club: District 6910, Georgia
Host Club: Logan, District 9600
Nadir is from Peshawar, Pakistan, an ancient city and gateway to Central Asia via famous Khyber Pass. For the last five thousand years, his city has seen armies coming in and going out to conquer South and Central Asia.
Owing to this fact, Peshawar for the last five thousand years has been under wars waged by foreign powers against each other. The strategic significance of the area he lives in drove him to seek understanding of policies and the interests of powerful countries in the region.
Nadir did his BSc (H) in rural development in 2007. As an integral part of his degree, he interned with the National Commission for Human Development for six months. During the internship, he worked extensively in the field against corporal punishment of children in schools. Along with his studies, he also worked as a campaign leader to promote awareness about basic democracy- then a novel idea- in his province.
In 2009, Nadir completed his MA degree in English Linguistics and Literature and got an appointment as a lecturer in the English in Higher Education Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During his six year tenure as a lecturer, he conducted many basic education sessions at different refugee camps in Peshawar and adjoining areas. In 2014, he got the opportunity to visit the USA on a Fulbright scholarship. His main responsibility was to spread awareness about his culture and instil goodwill among Americans and Pakistanis. In that capacity, he conducted many seminars and dialogue session at the University of Georgia.
Given his zeal for peace and harmony in the world, his supervisor recommended him to Rotary District 6910, Georgia. He is thankful to be selected as a Rotary Peace Fellow to study Peace & Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland.