Shabana Sayeed
Hi! I am Shabana Sayeed and I am from India. I did my BA and MA from India and am currently pursuing my MA in literary studies at GSU. 3rd world literature, with an emphasis on subaltern and post-colonial literature, interests me immensely. I have a great affinity with grammar (including syntactical and structural technicalities) and creative writing. Also, if you’re an international student or L2, struggling to bridge between cultural and lingual dilemmas, come and see me to tear apart any squeamish thoughts and language barriers. Off-campus, I enjoy traveling, talking to my parents for hours, writing and reading novels extensively and dreaming about a utopian society completely free of discrimination!
Learn more about Shabana!
What brought you to Atlanta?
I wanted to study in a foreign university. My keenness to pursue my Ph.D. in the USA brought me here.
What are you studying and why?
Master of Arts (Literary Studies). I am studying here to broaden my education through a degree from a foreign university. I want to be a professor and I look forward to working on my aim.
What are your goals for after GSU?
I want to pursue my Ph.D. and eventually become a professor.
What’s a lesson you’ve learned from tutoring?
Tutoring taught me many nuanced and important things regarding education in a compact setting. It played a vital role in growing my confidence. It also taught me that some vital (often personal) problems could be handled well through one-on-one tutoring rather than classroom teaching.
What’s the most memorable thing a student has ever said to you?
I worked with a mute student for the first time in my life. I thought I would terribly fail in tutoring him. But after around three sessions, the student wrote on a small paper, “You helped me like my own family member. I am glad you tutored me. I owe you a big thanks!”
How has writing influenced your life?
At this point, writing is all I do. Writing seminar papers and reading students’ writings have enriched me in a way I could not even think two years back. The same person who was intimidated by writing, kind of cannot imagine her life without writing right now.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get where you are now?
It is not an easy process to get here, especially for an international student like me. Wherever I am, this is only because of extreme perseverance and hard work. Coming from a different country and a completely different educational background, the only thing holding me back with support is hard work. To succeed, it is of utmost importance to hang in there, fail, repeat.