Tasfia Howlader, Public Health Researcher and Scholarship Winner

Worth the Fight

As a daughter of first-generation Bangladeshi immigrants, Tasfia Howlader has always understood the reality of identity-based boundaries to success— and the strength it takes to overcome them. Now a senior at Nova Southeastern University studying public health, Howlader is an advocate for minority access to education and healthcare; with Scholarships.com’s help, she’s earned over $300,000 to achieve her goals.

Howlader realized the challenges of pursuing education as a minority student from a very young age. Growing up in South Florida with her older sister, she saw firsthand the inaccessibility of the public school system to immigrants and their children.

“My parents didn’t know the school system that well,” Howlader explained. “Obviously, they put my sister through it, so when it came time for me, they were kind of familiar with the game and how to go through with it. But I did take it upon myself a lot of the time to apply to the different schools.”

“[I’d do] a quick Google search to find scholarships near me, or scholarships for high school seniors, and Scholarships.com was right there... I was able to find out about a lot of different scholarships through Scholarships.com, [even putting] aside the main big-name ones.”

Despite the lack of guidance, Howlader felt no lack of encouragement. Her parents remained enthusiastic and supportive as she navigated the sea of opportunities available to her, including a high school dual enrollment program called College Academy. The program would allow Howlader to enroll in college courses and graduate high school with an associate’s degree; she just needed to take an entrance exam to qualify.

“I didn’t tell my parents outright that I was going to take it. I was just like, ‘I have something to do at Broward College, you know, just to take a little test…’ And then I took the test, and I passed my first try,” she said. Revealing to her parents that she would be able to take college courses for free as a high schooler was a great privilege.

Howlader continued to take advantage of every opportunity she could through high school. Still unsure of what career she wanted to pursue post-graduation, she chose a versatile major for her associate’s degree: business. She applied for the Nyah Project Fellowship, which would allow her to travel to Ghana for a leadership development conference with other future leaders, and won; she was the youngest member of the group.

“Going to a different country, going to a different place, and seeing how many hours these kids are going to school for and how they’re receiving education— it really makes you feel grateful for the education that you receive,” Howlader said. She kept that experience close to her heart as she began thinking about her college options for her bachelor’s degree.

But even though Howlader would have 2 years of college credits accumulated prior to her high school graduation, paying to attend an undergraduate institution would still be difficult, especially if she chose a private school.

“Education should be readily available to everyone around us,” she said, “and paying for it, especially with that price tag, is a lot. I didn’t want to put my parents through that.” So she became determined to minimize her tuition bill through scholarship awards.

“I took it upon myself to find scholarships; [to] learn how to apply, learn the basics, what income-based means, what merit-based means, seeing if I qualify for scholarships overall… it was definitely a learning process for me,” recalled Howlader. Thankfully, she found a free online resource to help her: Scholarships.com.

“[I’d do] a quick Google search to find scholarships near me, or scholarships for high school seniors, and Scholarships.com was right there,” she said. Scholarships.com matched Howlader with a personalized list of scholarships based on her individual profile: “I was able to find out about a lot of different scholarships through Scholarships.com, [even putting] aside the main big-name ones.”

“During senior year, having that reminder to apply to scholarships [via] the automated emails from Scholarships.com is really big," she said.

With Scholarships.com, Howlader applied for all kinds of scholarships, from awards local to her Florida hometown to those specifically for first-generation college students to merit scholarships for any student with a high GPA. “Scholarships.com has so many scholarships on there; you never know which one you’re going to win,” she emphasized. “So I was like, ‘I’ll just try it.’”

It wasn’t just the scholarship matches that made Scholarships.com so useful to her, though. “Scholarships.com give[s] you so many resources,” Howlader said. “You’re able to figure out a lot of things that help you with your college admissions journey, and to help make your journey easier. Whether that be financially or mentally, it really helps you.”

Case in point: Scholarships.com’s personalized deadline reminders. Twice a week, Howlader received emails notifying her of scholarships for which she could apply that were closing soon.

“During senior year, having that reminder to apply to scholarships [via] the automated emails from Scholarships.com is really big,” she said. The emails helped her stay on top of applying to scholarships while also managing schoolwork, family responsibilities, and college applications.

It was during her senior year that Howlader matched with the Taco Bell Live Más scholarship on Scholarships.com. Worth up to $100,000 over the course of 4 years if renewed, the Live Más scholarship application consists of some basic demographic information and a 2-minute video submission. Since the scholarship is open to both high school and college students located anywhere in the U.S., Howlader was sure it would be a long shot— but if she won, it would change her life forever.

“You know what?” she recalled thinking. “It doesn’t hurt to try, so I might as well go ahead.”

Just a month before her high school graduation, Howlader woke up to a congratulatory email blinking bright in her inbox: she was a Taco Bell Live Más scholar.

“I screamed. My mom was so afraid,” she laughed. “And that was just the first!”

Today, Howlader is a senior majoring in public health at Nova Southeastern University, a private school known for its public health research initiatives. Thanks to Scholarships.com, she will not only graduate early, but also debt-free. Her wins include the Taco Bell Live Más award, which she has renewed continuously, and several local scholarships, such as the $12,000 Rotary Club of Pompano Beach Scholarship and the $1,000 American Muslim Alliance of Florida Scholarship.

“I’m grateful for going somewhere where I’m able to get education like this, I’m able to get the opportunities I get,” she said. “Research, conducting my own experiments, being with faculty who are amazing and want to see you succeed— I think that’s a really big part of what makes school easier.”

“Holding that distinction of being a Taco Bell Scholar really helps,” Howlader continued. “And even just local scholarships— I remember just last year, I had someone reach out to me [asking] if I could talk about one of the local scholarships that I won to a group of middle school girls… I really hold it close to my heart, the fact that I’m able to hold these titles.”

“I think a lot of people think being a first-generation student, being a child of immigrants, being someone of a different race or ethnicity kind of puts you at a roadblock,” she said, “but in my eyes, it propels you forward to find new experiences [and] more opportunities.”

Another crucial benefit of Howlader’s scholarship wins is their impact on her family. With Scholarships.com’s help, neither she herself nor her parents have had to take any loans or pay money for her to attend college, a rarity and a huge relief for first-generation students.

“Honestly, everything I do is for them,” she said of her parents, “even with my education. They’re big supporters of me, and I wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for them.” She’s even founded her own nonprofit, Amader Shopno, to benefit underprivileged students in her parents’ home country of Bangladesh; she is absolutely committed to giving back.

Ultimately, Howlader finds the most pride in having defied the societal expectations that keep students like her from accessing education. “I think a lot of people think being a first-generation student, being a child of immigrants, being someone of a different race or ethnicity kind of puts you at a roadblock,” she said, “but in my eyes, it propels you forward to find new experiences [and] more opportunities.”

And, as she prepares to graduate, Howlader has done just that. Her strongest advice for other students, especially those from minority groups and other marginalized communities, is to work hard no matter the expectations society has set for them.

“It takes effort, and it takes time, and I think it all pays off in the end.” she concluded. “1 application, 2 applications, rejections, acceptances— it doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day you will get to where you want to be, [even if] it might not seem like it in the moment. It’s worth the fight.”

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