An Afghan student who is preparing to graduate in Bath tomorrow has said she wants to use her new skills to help rebuild her country.
Farishta Hellali, 26, came to the UK to study for an MSc in advanced management practice thanks to support from the University of Bath's strategic endowment fund.
She had studied business administration at a small institute in Kabul and jumped at the chance to further her education.
Farishta said: "I desperately wanted to come to study at Bath so that I could go back to Afghanistan and contribute to the development of education.
"I primarily want to do something to help women in my country.
"My plan is to get a good job in an international organisation back in Kabul and I have already applied for positions at the Ministry of Women's Affairs, the UN and the British Embassy.
"The experience of being in the UK has given me the confidence to do that."
Farishta said she had loved her time in Bath, particularly having the opportunity to be independent.
"It's been a wonderful experience to be in Bath," she said.
"Life is totally different here. You don't ever feel secure in Afghanistan. You understand that anything can happen at any time. Here I feel independent and more secure."
After graduation Farishta will return home to Afghanistan for the first time in more than a year.
Her family, who have all been affected by the conflict, have urged her to stay in the UK because of their country's instability but she insists that she wants to return.
She said: "I am positive about the future of my country and believe that we, the younger generation, can make a change.
"My goal has always been to make a positive change in my country."
Farishta will pick up her degree during a ceremony at the Assembly Rooms tomorrow.
Unfortunately her family is unable to travel to the UK for the event because of visa issues. Ian Crawford, a teaching fellow in the school of management who initiated the Afghan scholarship, said he was pleased with how successful it was proving to be.
He said: "The idea came about when I was in Kabul at the British Council visiting universities in the city.
"The British Council helped to advertise the scholarship and I returned to Kabul to interview shortlisted candidates.
"Very few universities have offered scholarships to Afghan students and we are proud to play a small but positive part in the reconstruction of Afghanistan."
