6 Students awarded scholarships from the CSSF

Hiiraan Online
Sunday February 18, 2018

Ottawa (HOL) - The Somali community celebrated excellence in education on Saturday with a scholarship award ceremony for six deserving students.

The Canadian-Somali Scholarship Fund (CSSF) sponsored-event took place at the Ottawa Islamic School. The scholarships are awarded annually to Somali youth who demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence as well as ingenuity and passion for service to their community.

The evening began with the recitation of Quran followed by a brief message from Sh. Said Ali Ahmed, the President of CSSF.

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Sh. Said spoke the importance of celebrating academic achievements in our community. He explained that intense unwarranted scrutiny and attention is directed at the Somali community because of the bad choices made by a few. This narrative distracts from the celebration and recognition of those who have achieved greatness and excelling amongst their peers.

Sh. Said added that it is the mission of the CSSF is to centre the conversation around these bright lights. Finally, Sh.Said pointed out that the purpose of the evening is not just to award scholarships, but also to illustrate to the youth that the community is extremely proud of everything that they have accomplished.

Abdirizak Karod, the executive director of the Somali Centre for Family Services in Ottawa, spoke on some of the progress that the community has made. Karod said that he has witnessed first-hand the struggle that Somali youth face. He said that when the community is able to find consensus and unity, a strong bond is created.

Karod expressed his happiness attending the award ceremony and a desire for the community to work to create many more similar functions.

Finally, Asma Hassan, a member of the CSSF board, spoke about the impact scholarships like this have on Somali youth.

She posited that youth are provided with an invaluable sense of confidence and support when their genius, creativity, and brilliance is recognized and celebrated.

The recipients of the scholarships are:

Asli-Oubah Fuad
Hamza Farah
Aisha Mao
Fatima Suliman
Anfa Mohamud
Salma Ibrahim

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