The Mahmoudi Scholarship for Justice
The Mahmoudi Scholarship welcomes African or Asian youth from diverse backgrounds in order to encourage young scholars to advance justice as a means to building a global community based on unity and oneness of humanity.
The annual scholarship celebrates 15-18-year-olds who demonstrate academic excellence coupled with an exceptional approach to access to justice on community level. This may include a research paper or community service project findings on the application of social justice issues to decreasing racial, economic or gender inequality, or increasing access to socioeconomic rights to education, work, health, shelter or food.
This scholarship offers US$ 350 towards tuition and accommodation fees at secondary schools in Asia or Africa. Interested candidates must submit an application between 21 August and 21 November each year. Following review by an independent committee, the results are publicly announced on 27 December each year.
The Scholarship is an effort initiated by the Cambridge-based Ward & Brown Foundation and supported by the Oxford-based Zambian Gems Foundation, the California-based Full Circle Learning, and administered by an independent selection committee. For more information, please email us at barnet@thewbf.org.
Application Requirements
In order to apply for the scholarship, all interested applicants must:
- Submit a complete copy of the application (Download Here)
- Possess and maintain an academic record of 75% or higher
- Demonstrate a commitment to increasing awareness and access to social justice through a community project lasting at least 12 weeks or a research paper based on the quote “The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men”.
- Submit two letters of recommendation, one from a teacher and one from a community organisation regarding the efficacy of the submission
Please note only complete applications will be considered. All references must be sent directly from the referee’s email account, and transcripts must be official and sent directly from the school.
All documents must be submitted in PDF format, along with a cover letter, through email between 21 August and 21 November, to The Mahmoudi Scholarship Selection Committee at: barnet@thewbf.org
Please note: in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation all personal data in this application package is shared with an external scholarship selection committee. However, following the selection of the scholarship recipient, all information pertaining to applicants are securely destroyed where it is decided that this and accompanying documents will not be further processed.
About the Scholarship
The Mahmoudi Scholarship for Justice is established in honour of one of the most impactful and multitalented couples in contemporary Iran.
Zhinous Mahmoudi was the first female Iranian meteorologist and head of the country’s National Meteorological Organisation, a part of Iran’s Ministry of Defence. Raised in an educated family, her mother was a teacher and her father a publisher. Zhinous studied physics and was a proponent of equality of rights for women and men. She advocated a healthy lifestyle through her translation of books on veganism and yoga. She produced the Geographical Atlas of Iran and led some of the most advanced and ground-breaking research in her industry, used to this day. A mother of three, she offered in-depth workshops for youth on significant trends of the time, including the cause of justice.
Houshang Mahmoudi was a documentary filmmaker, lawyer and educator. In his earlier years, he established an exemplary secondary school, and became known as a beloved educator among youth. He started Iran’s first children’s edutainment television program and coined phrases that shaped new approaches to parenting and dignity of children and youth. A passionate author and poet, Houshang penned a number of important books, articles and poems that demonstrated his dedication to justice as a fundamental element of the global community.
The Mahmoudis served on national governing bodies of the Iranian Baha’i community. Following the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Houshang faced enforced disappearance on 21 August 1980, and Zhinous was executed on 27 December 1981.
About The Scholarship Panel
Artin Mahmoudi was born in Iran and came to the United States at age of 17 for the pursuit of his studies. He finished undergraduate and medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, and went on to complete his internal medicine residency and subsequently a combined pulmonary and critical care fellowship at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He is a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians.
Artin has lived and worked in several parts of the world including the Pacific Islands and the People’s Republic of China. He has served as chairman of various Departments of Medicine, Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director of critical care units. He is currently the Medical Director of the critical care unit and a practicing pulmonologist at Adventist Health Sonora, as well as an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor, Tuoro University, California. He enjoys practicing medicine and teaching medical students and residents on three continents around the globe.
Gol Khadem graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, International Business at the University of Auckland. She also holds a double major degree in Management and Marketing from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand.
She has more than 20 years of experience in managerial roles, human resources and recruitment, Marketing, business development, property, international relations and finance. After establishing her own business, she is currently passionate about the lifetime value of education and financial literacy, including her work through an organisation that empowers women to achieve economic autonomy and financial independence.
Nima Nourani is a practicing Emergency Physician and aspiring filmmaker, He completed his medical studies at the University of Arizona and Emergency Medicine residency at Cook County Hoospital in Chicago. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, teaching medical simulation lab. During the pandemic, Nima was involved with his hospital’s Covid response team and serves as an associate medical director of the Emergency Department.
In addition to medical practice, Nima’s short films are screened at festivals. He strives to create films that inspire us to examine our collective humanity. He is married to a physician. Together, they raise three young children.
Ashkon Mahmoudi was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the Pacific and China before returning to the United States for college and graduate school. He is a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician in Phoenix, Arizona. He is also pursuing a fellowship in Clinical Ultrasound.
Ashkon’s professional passions include ultrasound, teaching, and practical restructuring of present educational paradigms to better promote wellness and the process of learning. In his free time Ashkon hosts a weekly devotional gathering and focuses on staying connected to the activities and growth of his community.