The Asian University for Women (AUW) and MetLife Foundation announced on Tuesday that MetLife Foundation would support AUW’s collegiate bridge-year program – Access Academy. This one-year flagship program helps prepare students for AUW’s rigorous, American-style undergraduate studies and also aims to recruit talented women who may have had limited access to high quality education. Kamal Ahmad, President and CEO of Asian University for Women Support Foundation said, “Access Academy is a critical part of AUW’s commitment to academic excellence and social equity. MetLife Foundation shares AUW’s passion for providing educational opportunities to women and its support of this program will allow many more socially and economically disadvantaged women to change their lives.”
An Access Academy class typically has about 120 students coming from 15 countries across Asia and the Middle East. At AUW, through its international student population and teaching staff, students gain a deep appreciation for the value of diversity and the different views and ideas in addition to developing life-long learning and leadership skills. This has a multiplier effect in that AUW students also go on to impact and influence their families and communities, often inspiring neighbors and other family members to seek out higher education opportunities for their daughters.
Students are recruited through an extensive admissions process that combines exams and personal interviews. The AUW looks for young women with key attributes, regardless of educational background, such as intelligence, empathy, a sense of social justice, and strong leadership potential. Many of the students recruited are garment workers and/or from refugee populations and are given an additional year to focus on developing English language skills before entering Access Academy.
“Knowledge is one of the key focus areas of MetLife Foundation’s strategy. We are proud to partner with AUW, an organization dedicated to teaching these young women real-life skills beyond just a classroom education,” said Md. Nurul Islam, Regional Senior Vice President and Head of Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, MetLife.
Md. Jafar Sadque Chowdhury, Chief Distribution Officer, MetLife, Md. Nurul Islam, Regional Senior Vice President, Head of Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, MetLife, Syed Hammadul Karim, Chief Marketing Officer and Deputy General Manager, MetLife, Selina Rahman, Head of Human Resources, MetLife, Munirul Islam, Bangladesh Representative, MetLife. Omar Shareef, Chief Operating Officer, Asian University for Women (AUW), Rehana Alam Khan, Director of Admissions, AUW, John Schroeder, Dean of Faculty and Professor of Asian Studies, AUW were present at the discussion.
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