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CLASS OF 2020: Graduate puts a career in photography in the picture

23/09/2021

Aabidah Shah, 24, born in New York and raised in Birmingham, has graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Photography, overcoming personal and professional challenges to achieve her ambition of becoming a photographer and an artist.

Aabidah has also been successful in her application to receive £10,000 funding from the Artists Benevolent Fund which will offer her financial support to further develop her practice and professional progression in partnership with the University’s School of Art.

She said: “I feel so proud to be graduating with a First Class Honours degree in Photography.  I’ve overcome lots of challenges including my mental health issues; depression, anxiety and PTSD due to my childhood abuse and I explored this in my work which was very dark when I started at University. I then wanted to turn that around and start to focus on positives which was what my project was all about.

“I am determined that, through my work, I will continue to shed light on topics that the South Asian community, in particular people from my Pakistani ethnic background, find difficult to talk about and face. There is very little information about mental health issues or sexual abuse in the community and I want to do better for the next generation, I want to share my experiences through my creativity and break down the stereotypes.

“My family would have preferred me to pursue a career based in science but I think I’ve shown them that you can be successful and still achieve if you pursue an artistic ambition. Positive representation is very important. I’m really proud to be have studied at the University of Wolverhampton, teachers are a big part of the experience and mine have been crazy incredible!”

Class of 2020 graduate successes will be celebrated on the University’s Alumni Facebook page as well as their Instagram and Twitter channels. Graduates are invited to share photos, thank you messages and memories of their time at the University of Wolverhampton. 

Graduates are encouraged to keep in touch with the Alumni team and take advantage of a range of benefits and support on offer to them including a discount for Postgraduate study and opportunities to benefit from mentoring, volunteering and career advice. 

Anyone looking to study at the University of Wolverhampton should register for one of our forthcoming Open Days. 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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