New Aziz Scholar Cohort attend Induction Day

The Aziz Foundation was thrilled to host the Induction Day for its 2026 Scholar Cohort (please see video for highlights). This year, over 50 scholarship awards have been made, with beneficiaries studying at 23 different universities. Overall, the Foundation has awarded over 700 scholarships, valued at £8.5m, since its inception over a decade ago.

Rahima Aziz BEM commenced proceedings with a speech that touched on the Foundation's achievements and gave a glimpse of its future possibilities, setting a positive tone for the day.

She told Aziz Scholars:

...you carry both privilege and responsibility. Your responsibility isn’t simply to succeed individually. It’s to lift each other up. Share knowledge and opportunities. Open doors. Look out for one another. Build a community. Because true leadership is about bringing people with you, leading with purpose, empathy and courage, and giving back to the communities that helped you get here.”

The Aziz Foundation team then ran an information panel session, providing information on its programmes of work, support schemes, and answers to common queries. With the team growing, new members of staff were also introduced.

We were also joined by a host of inspiring speakers across two panels:

• University panel & Q&A with Dr Sammy Li (Assistant Director of Student Affairs, University of Birmingham), Leyha Manampadi (EDI Officer, Royal College of Art), Dr Rahma Hegy (Vice President Student Affairs, FOSIS), and Imam Mohammed Laher (Muslim Chaplain, De Montfort University).
• Alumni panel & Q&A chaired by Ibrahim Mohammed (Aziz Foundation Ambassador), with Diana Hysenaj (Policy), Henna Zulfquar (Tech), Mahnoor Shoaib (Law), and Taqwa Sadiq (Media/ Arts & Culture)

With the start of the academic year fast approaching, we would like to take the opportunity once again to congratulate our new scholars and wish them a fulfilling time during their studies.