Huda Khan's University Honors Learning Portfolio

About Huda Khan

As an Afghan immigrant, my story is rooted in the belief that education is both powerful and fragile. In Afghanistan, girls fifth grade and above are denied the right to attend school, and careers in fields such as engineering are rare and often stigmatized. This has fueled my determination to pursue mechanical engineering in the United States, where women remain underrepresented in the field. Children around the world lack the same opportunities and access to education I have for reasons such as legality, expenses, distance and responsibilities. Their dreams are just as big, and they are equally capable of achieving them, but they lack the opportunities. I want to use my fortunate position make education more accessible so that others can pursue their dreams as well.

Within the University Honors Program I am excited about the Study Abroad & Study Tours opportunity, specifically a Sustainable International Development study tour in Johannesburg, South Africa and Gaborone, Botswana. This program offers the chance to learn about engineering’s role in social, environmental, and infrastructure challenges in an African context, while working with communities and seeing how technology and design decisions are shaped by resource constraints and cultural values.

At UC I want to join Bearcat Motorsports, Engineers Without Borders, and the Society of Women Engineers. My goals in UHP and at UC are to engage in global learning, participate in service abroad, and grow as a leader who represents women in STEM as well as the larger fight for educational access and equity.