Seema Kumari, YUWA 2021 Graduate Gets Harvard University Scholarship

Seema Kumari, a graduate of the YUWA class of 2021 has now received a Harvard University scholarship.

Harvard University reportedly had a low acceptance rate this year but Seema managed to battle against all hurdles a secured a spot for herself. This was because the university had just 3.4 per cent of applications this year. Besides Harvard's full scholarship, she was also accepted to Ashoka University, Middlebury College, and Trinity College.

The young girl hails from a small village named Dahu located in Ormanjhi, Jharkhand and is the daughter of underprivileged parents who make their living through subsistence farming. Her father also works at a local thread factory.

Seema's journey towards securing the Harvard University scholarship

Seema joined the Yuwa school in Jharkhand in the year 2012. The school supports girls from impoverished families belonging to rural Jharkhand. She then subsequently started working as a Football coach to pay her school fees. In 2018, she was accepted to the Washington University of St. Louis' Young Leaders Institute for high school students.

Here's Seema from @YuwaFootball who's made it to the Young Leaders Institute at @WUSTL for a summer program! pic.twitter.com/FcsqwfjxBE

— Yuwa (@YuwaFootball) March 5, 2018

Seema set an example by being a young woman who won against all odds including child marriage, and the ridicule she faced for wearing shorts. She will now be the first person in her family to attend a university and also one of the few girls from rural India to bag the Harvard University scholarship.

According to the reported data, only 39 per cent of rural girls attend high school compared to rural boys (45 per cent). Data also shows that rural girls from 42 countries are twice as likely as urban girls to be out of school.

Earlier this year in January,  the United States Senate passed the Malala  Yousafzai Scholarship Act by a voice vote. The act was passed by the US House of Representatives in March last year. Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said, “The prime goal of this bill is to help educate women and girls; a long term step which will help stabilize societies, promote economic growth as well as advances the US national security objectives.”