{"id":4527,"date":"2020-06-19T13:52:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T13:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?p=4527"},"modified":"2024-04-11T08:09:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T08:09:19","slug":"the-family-full-of-cardiff-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/2020\/06\/19\/the-family-full-of-cardiff-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"The family full of Cardiff alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dr-Rasheed-Fathers-Say-piece-900x600-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4543\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4543\" class=\"wp-image-4543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dr-Rasheed-Fathers-Say-piece-900x600-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dr-Rasheed-Fathers-Say-piece-900x600-1-451x338.jpg 451w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dr-Rasheed-Fathers-Say-piece-900x600-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dr-Rasheed-Fathers-Say-piece-900x600-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Dr Abdul C.M. Rasheed&nbsp;is a&nbsp;first-generation&nbsp;immigrant from a small rural village in&nbsp;Sri Lanka. He&nbsp;worked&nbsp;as a&nbsp;Research Officer&nbsp;for the&nbsp;School of Chemistry&nbsp;between&nbsp;1975-78. He&nbsp;is now&nbsp;a retired&nbsp;Senior Development&nbsp;Engineer,&nbsp;but still&nbsp;remembers&nbsp;his&nbsp;time&nbsp;at Cardiff&nbsp;fondly. So fondly,&nbsp;in fact, that he encouraged all four of&nbsp;his&nbsp;children to attend Cardiff University.&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><br><br><strong><em>The Rasheed&nbsp;family&nbsp;reunited (digitally) to&nbsp;explain&nbsp;what it\u2019s&nbsp;like to work at Cardiff University, study at the&nbsp;same time as your siblings,&nbsp;and have&nbsp;such a fantastic network of support.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Father:\u00a0<\/strong>Dr Abdul Rasheed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How did you come to work for&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>Cardiff<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;University?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dr Rasheed:<\/strong>&nbsp;The University had an excellent reputation, so I applied to work there with a view to continuing my postgraduate studies. I was offered a research post within the Applied Science Department in the School of Chemistry to undertake a project for recovery of organic waste streams.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although it was a long time ago, I clearly remember that the entire period was enjoyable,&nbsp;not only for my academic pursuits, but also for the numerous pleasant personalities I encountered.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why did you encourage your children to study here?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dr Rasheed:<\/strong>&nbsp;I encouraged my children to enter Cardiff University mainly for the high standard and reputation it has established over a long period of time. Having experienced it first-hand, I knew that it would be a great asset to their future careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic1-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4547\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4547\" class=\"wp-image-4547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"697\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic-2-1024x697.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4553\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4553\" class=\"wp-image-4553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic-2-1024x697.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic-2-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic-2-768x523.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"782\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic1-782x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4555\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4555\" class=\"wp-image-4555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic1-782x1024.jpg 782w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic1-229x300.jpg 229w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hanas-pic1-768x1005.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"614\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Uzmans-pics1-614x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4557\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4557\" class=\"wp-image-4557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Uzmans-pics1-614x1024.jpg 614w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Uzmans-pics1-180x300.jpg 180w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Uzmans-pics1-768x1281.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Uzmans-pics1.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 614px) 100vw, 614px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"332\" height=\"517\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Zahras-pic1.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4559\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4559\" class=\"wp-image-4559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Zahras-pic1.jpg 332w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Zahras-pic1-193x300.jpg 193w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 332px) 100vw, 332px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/dads-pic-3-1024x677.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4561\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4561\" class=\"wp-image-4561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/dads-pic-3-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/dads-pic-3-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/dads-pic-3-768x508.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4563\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/?attachment_id=4563\" class=\"wp-image-4563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-40x40.jpg 40w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Dads-pics1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Children:&nbsp;<\/strong>Hisham (MPharm&nbsp;2018), Hana (MPharm&nbsp;2006), Zahra (BSc&nbsp;2010, MSc 2016, PGCert&nbsp;2018), and&nbsp;Uzman (BSc&nbsp;2014)&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How did your father\u2019s enthusiasm for Cardiff&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>University&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>impact your experience as a student?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hisham<\/strong><strong>:&nbsp;<\/strong>I always had a lack of understanding of what my father\u2019s occupation was, but around the age of 12 I gained a better understanding of how far he had progressed with his education to get where he was.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was a sense of honour, being able to say I studied in the same place as the rest of my family. I can clearly remember the day I secured my place at Cardiff, and how delighted I was.&nbsp;It meant a lot to everyone,&nbsp;being the last sibling of four to study at Cardiff!<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hana<\/strong><strong>:&nbsp;<\/strong>Our father&nbsp;wanted us to make our own decisions about our future, but it was certainly a positive influence seeing how enthusiastic he was about Cardiff University. It was nice to be able to go to places that he had gone while he was at the University.&nbsp;Although lots had changed, there were a few things that were the same and it was special that we could talk about them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>There was a lot of crossover when<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;you were students<\/strong><strong>. What were t<\/strong><strong>he benefits of&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>studying<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>the&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>same tim<\/strong><strong>e?<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hana:<\/strong>&nbsp;My sister was studying in the School of Optometry at the same time as&nbsp;me,&nbsp;so it was nice to be able to meet up for lunch or coffee. As I was coming to&nbsp;the&nbsp;end of my degree, and she was starting out, it was also nice to be able to offer her advice and tips from my experiences at university.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Zahra<\/strong><strong>:&nbsp;<\/strong>It&nbsp;was&nbsp;really nice&nbsp;to be able to meet&nbsp;my sister&nbsp;for coffee when things felt overwhelming as a fresher.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you needed to know the best coffee places, the hard to find free parking spots, the quietest library during exam season &#8211; one of us would have the answer!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Uzman:<\/strong>&nbsp;It was helpful because if I needed to borrow something or pass along an&nbsp;item,&nbsp;I could just meet&nbsp;Zahra&nbsp;between lectures.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic3-1-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic3-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic3-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic3-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/323\/2020\/06\/Hishams-pic3-1.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Zahra and Hanna<\/strong><strong>, you have both f<\/strong><strong>ollow<\/strong><strong>ed<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;in their father\u2019s footsteps<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;and<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>work<\/strong><strong>ed<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;at Cardiff University.&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>W<\/strong><strong>hat&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>was<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;it like<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;to<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>go from studying at Cardiff to teaching<\/strong><strong>?&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Zahra:&nbsp;<\/strong>Working as a teacher in the same school I studied&nbsp;at&nbsp;was quite daunting at first, as my old lecturers were now my colleagues and I felt like I wasn&#8217;t much older than my students! But Dad gave me some tips on mastering confidence and the importance of bringing real-world applications&nbsp;to&nbsp;your field.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hana:&nbsp;<\/strong>I loved my experience teaching at the University and found it extremely rewarding and fulfilling. The student experience is completely different to working for the&nbsp;University and teaching. It\u2019s eye opening to see how much hard work, dedication and enthusiasm goes into teaching at the&nbsp;University.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What inspires you about your&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>father<\/strong><strong>?&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hisham:&nbsp;<\/strong>His dedication and motivation towards pursuing education, having come from a background where this would not have been an easy feat.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hana:&nbsp;<\/strong>As a first-generation immigrant in the 1970s,&nbsp;my father&nbsp;faced many barriers with no support&nbsp;network,&nbsp;and I can only imagine how difficult&nbsp;that&nbsp;was. Despite this,&nbsp;he&nbsp;went&nbsp;on to have many successes and&nbsp;never lost his positive attitude.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the biggest legacies he\u2019s&nbsp;given&nbsp;us&nbsp;is the understanding that education is a privilege and should never be taken for granted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do you think your own children will be part of the ne<\/strong><strong>x<\/strong><strong>t generation of Cardiff University alumni?&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hana:&nbsp;<\/strong>I will certainly speak very highly of my experiences at Cardiff University when it comes to them selecting where they will study. It would be nice to have another generation of our family attend Cardiff, but ultimately the decision will lie with them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr Abdul C.M. Rasheed is a first-generation immigrant from a small rural village in Sri Lanka. He worked as a Research Officer for the School of Chemistry between 1975-78. He is now a retired Senior Development Engineer, but still remembers his time at Cardiff fondly. So fondly, in fact, that he encouraged all four of his children to attend Cardiff University. 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