Friday September 12, 2025

Somali student Amira Anshur, recipient of the Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship, is pursuing computer science at the University of Toronto. She hopes her success will inspire Somali girls to complete their education and raise awareness about the environmental costs of artificial intelligence while ensuring its benefits reach developing nations. SUPPLIED PHOTO

Nineteen-year-old Amira Anshur has been named a Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholar, a prestigious award covering tuition, books, residence, and fees for four years. It is granted to international students who demonstrate academic excellence, creativity, leadership, and community impact.

“Going [to U of T] on a scholarship is breaking barriers,” Anshur told HOL. “The sense of hope and the feeling that it’s possible to get there, that’s the main benefit of me going to U of T.”

At 13, she began teaching Somali literacy to her classmates after Quran lessons. Later, she discovered computer science and introduced younger students to Python coding, co-developing a program that helped teenagers build websites and games.

After finishing high school, she spent a gap year teaching before applying for the Pearson Scholarship. She recalls receiving the good news during Ramadan. “I thought I was dreaming,” she said.

Now in Toronto, Anshur plans to focus on artificial intelligence and sustainability, raising awareness about the environmental costs of AI while ensuring its benefits reach developing nations. “Soon AI will be in every industry and every classroom,” she said. “Making sure it’s not destroying our already fragile ecosystem is my core mission.”

She also credits her teachers in Mogadishu for helping her persevere through hardship, especially her mathematics and physics teacher, Ali, who supported her after she missed months of school due to financial difficulties. “Education is a very difficult profession,” she said. “It’s so demanding emotionally, physically, mentally, and I don’t think teachers and educators get the flowers they really deserve.”

As she begins her studies in Canada, Anshur hopes her story convinces other Somali girls that completing high school and attending university is possible. “I think it will convince a lot of girls [back home] to finish their schooling,” she said. “They’ll know that someone like them made it to a good university on a good scholarship.”