For many bright Pakistani students, EducationUSA’s two cohort advising programs – Competitive College Club (CCC) and Opportunity Funds (OF) – are the turning point that makes college dreams possible. By providing consistent and critical support, often spanning several years, Team EducationUSA helps talented high schoolers from across the country put their best foot forward when application season rolls around. And the results are always a raging success: acceptances to top U.S. institutions and millions of dollars in financial aid. But what happens after the admit letters arrive?
To answer this question, we caught up with four outstanding alumni from previous OF and CCC cohorts to see where life has taken them. From Silicon Valley startups and global campuses to poetry slams in Mississippi, their stories are a reminder of how far opportunity and ambition can take us.
NAVEEN ALI: Minerva University, Class of 2023; American University, Class of 2025
“OF provided critical support during my college application process,” says Naveen, who graduated with a degree in economics and data science from Minerva University before going on to complete a master’s in sustainability management at American University. Her undergraduate experience took her across five cities – San Francisco, London, Seoul, Berlin, and Buenos Aires – thanks to Minerva’s unique global rotation model.
Now based in Washington, D.C., Naveen works as a sustainability analyst at a firm focused on ESG strategy and systems change.
“Living in the United States helped me build new skills, expand my perspective, and grow professionally,” she shares. “Scholarships made it all possible, but it was EducationUSA’s OF program that opened the door.”
MINAHIL GHAURI SALEEM: Bryn Mawr College, Class of 2027
For Minahil, her first year at Bryn Mawr was a mix of academic rigor, personal growth, and cultural exploration.
“One minute I was knee-deep in problem sets, the next I was figuring out how to do my own laundry,” she laughs. “Managing time went from a vague concept to my go-to life skill: it was a real balancing act to manage ice cream runs at 1:00 am with study marathons that began at 10 pm after work.”
With early clarity on her academic interests, Minahil dove straight into advanced courses, often relying on office hours and mentorship to navigate challenges.
“Professors don’t just want to explain lecture material; they genuinely want to help you think through career steps and life decisions. I learned that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness,” she says.
To cope with homesickness and build community, she joined the South Asian Society and Muslim Students Association, and took on editorial duties at Bi-Co News. She also embraced new cultural experiences, like celebrating Lunar New Year, a tradition she had never heard of in Pakistan
As a sophomore next year, she will step into multiple roles as a teaching assistant, student journalist, and community leader, all while eyeing internships in finance. Her advice?
“College throws a lot at you, but it’s also where you discover what you’re capable of, so don’t be afraid to jump in. But plan early. Be yourself. And tap into EducationUSA – CCC helped me with everything, from essays and visas to self-belief.”
MUHAMMAD SAAD ASAD: Minerva University, Class of 2025
Saad, a part of the 2021 OF cohort, graduated from Minerva University with a bachelor’s degree in computational sciences, specializing in machine learning and AI applications. His academic journey took him across continents, but it was during a summer internship at TaxGPT, a Y Combinator-backed startup, that he discovered his true calling.
“I built the first end-to-end tax return analyzer agent capable of scanning hundreds of pages and flagging issues – my first real contribution to AI for the real world,” he says.
Today, Saad continues to work full-time at TaxGPT while attending major industry events in San Francisco, where Minerva’s U.S. campus is located.
“Being in this ecosystem is energizing and I’m especially grateful to the OF program for setting this journey in motion.”
HASAN BUKHARI: University of Southern Mississippi, Class of 2027
“It was A LOT,” Hasan says candidly about his first year. “You don’t realize how fast it goes. One day you’re submitting ten assignments, the next you’re helping a friend move out.”
But through all the culture shock and coursework, Hasan found his rhythm and his voice.
He bagged the Best Assistant Project Manager title in an information technology course, discovered a passion for art during a visit to the quirky Pocket Museum of Hattiesburg, and even created the Student Poets Association when he realized his campus didn’t have a poetry club.
By the end of the year, he had won first place at a university-wide research symposium for a multimedia poetry project – the moment he “truly felt like a poet and a coder at the same time”. He also served in student government, represented Pakistan in a cultural showcase, and is now working on a video game and poetry collection for his sophomore year.
“CCC helped me believe in the value of my story,” he says. “Don’t try to be a brochure. Be yourself and then go all in.”
