‘Masu Ake’ wins Global Undergraduate Award

Masuda Khan. Photo: Anirban Kaisar/Courtesy of Masuda Khan

With drawing, ramp modelling, and The Global Undergraduate Award under her belt, Masuda Khan, popularly known simply as 'masu ake' across social media, is a multifaceted person. Having changed school 13 times across three countries, she is no stranger to unprecedented changes. She fearlessly ventures into different creative fields.

 "I decided to participate in Miss Universe 2020 out of curiosity. I like to collect experiences and meet new people," said Masuda. In the span of a few months, she became one of the top 10 contestants in the beauty pageant.

"Joltorongo", her Facebook page, started with short tutorials she sent her friends and cousins. Soon, it metamorphosed into a platform with thousands of followers. Her work channels a simple yet profound style and timeless splendor. "I grew up in a household that did not pressure me to study and instead, encouraged me to study from a point of interest. I taught myself to value the importance of education from a young age. So even when I multitask, studies are always my first priority," said the talented artist.

 

 

 

 

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Much of Masuda's enduring creativity is rooted in issues that need to be addressed. "I have always been hyper-aware of environmental issues. I am eager to learn new things and seek to bring changes in the world however I can," shared Masuda, who is now a junior year English student at BRAC University. A year ago, she earned second place in Group B in the UNHCR art competition with her drawing that shed light on the Rohingya community.

This year, The Global Undergraduate Awards, also known as The Junior Nobel Prize, selected Masuda's paper "CDA on the Rohingya Crisis – Suu Kyi vs. Yunus" as the best in Asia under the category, Linguistics.

 "The campus ambassador of the awards, Israr Hasan, encouraged me to apply. A few semesters back, a professor gave us an assignment to analyse any talk show's discourse," said Masuda. "I came across Dr Muhammad Yunus' Al Jazeera interview on the Rohingya crisis. His agitation was palpable to me. I decided to analyse and contrast Dr Yunus and Suu Kyi's discourses. They are both Nobel laureates who promote peace but view this massive humanitarian crisis from different viewpoints."

Since Masuda is only in her early 20s, she wants to explore and enhance her skills as an artist and a model and anything else that keeps her creative spirit thriving.

The author is a student of BRAC University, and a freelance journalist. Email: [email protected].