Kodungallur’s own Hanan Fathima is set to walk through the gates of Harvard University this Thursday, carrying with her the dreams of a small-town girl who dared to aim for the world’s best. She will join the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology for her PhD, backed by a prestigious scholarship — a milestone that crowns years of hard work and determination.

A BS-MS dual degree holder in biological sciences from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur, Hanan’s turning point came during her fifth year, when she travelled to the US with a scholarship to complete her MS dissertation at the Janelia Research Campus in Virginia. Immersed in cutting-edge research there, she set her sights on Harvard and, without hesitation, applied while still in Virginia. A week after her interview, her acceptance letter arrived.

With a CGPA of 8.8, Hanan’s record goes beyond academics. She served as cultural secretary, edited the student magazine, and earned IISER’s Founder Director’s Gold Medal for her combined excellence in scholarship and extracurricular pursuits.

“I wish to pursue research along with teaching in future,” says Hanan. She credits her parents K A Noushad, senior government pleader at the Kerala High Court, and Thasnim Noushad, a teacher for instilling in her the values of learning and perseverance.