Spears School of Business

Our Global Student of the Month is Sharif Mazumder! Sharif is a Ph.D. student in Finance, and traveled to Oklahoma from his home country, Bangladesh.

 

Background

“I grew up in a working-class family. We lived in a small industrial town in Bangladesh in a community of segregated populations consisting of wage earners, factory owners, and people of distinct religion, class, and educational background. Bangladesh is a country of diverse culture. Its’ deeply rooted culture can be reflected in its establishment, dance, song, painting, and poetry. Though Islam is the dominating religion, religious harmony practicing from the ancient period makes the country a land of tranquility. Most of the people speak in Bengali, moreover, hundreds of regional dialects with diverse customs make our culture rich and distinguishable. Further, Bangladesh is called a land of the rivers being situated in the largest delta of the world. Thus, natural disasters put the country in the frequent headlines of the international news, however, the struggling and hard-working nature of the people always fosters the speedier recovery after the calamities with a new horizon of hope. Another salient feature that makes the rural cultural unique is having diversity in folk music. One can hear a sweet voice of song waving from the far if he visits the countryside. By nature, people display exemplary hospitality to the known and unknowns that makes our country unique.”

 

Sharif says his decision to come to OSU was made after considering many factors, and it paid off!

 

“Whenever I was searching for universities to pursue my higher education I considered several parameters: diversity, competency, a challenge, and the location of the school. In each of the parameters, OSU seemed a perfect to me. It satisfied me when I realized that my decision was not wrong. First, the composition of the graduate students in my department is well diverse. We have 8 graduate students from 6 different countries that lay a perfect example of cultural diversity. Second, I wanted to take a challenge in the graduate school attending a rigorous program. OSU’s doctoral program challenged me a lot, but I survived well and that boosts my confidence. Lastly, the city of Stillwater is very student-friendly though there are not many fun activities to do, the affordability of living comforts me not to bear a huge student loan.”

 

Best memories/experiences at OSU 

Sharif has enjoyed his time at OSU participating in departmental events, Homecoming, and cultural activities.

 

“During my study at OSU, I strive to engage with the community outreach program in many ways. I always wanted to represent the underrepresented society. Considering this, I served as a Vice President for the Bangladesh Student Associations in the year 2017-2018. This was an exclusive opportunity for me to represent my country to the outside world. As a student community, we are always proactive to participate in the cultural events held in the university. We regularly participate in the international food expo and food bazar, ISO Olympics, the homecoming parade, and annual cultural fest arranged by ISO. Apart from this, I am always keen to bear my department flag in various campus-related activities, such as representing the department in the GPSGA, helping the department tailgating party to cheer up the college football team, and many others.”

 

 

Accomplishments and Hobbies

Sharif has a long list of accomplishments. Sharif’s natural passion for teaching and research have been noticed. Most recently, he was selected as a 2020 Outstanding Doctoral Student. He was awarded 2019 Outstanding Graduate Student and 2019 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Associate.

 

“As a graduate student, I am always keen to show my capabilities both in my research and in my teaching. My passion for my research earned me the Outstanding Graduate Student 2019 award. Moreover, I consider teaching as a privilege and take it very seriously. My dedication towards teaching helps me to achieve excellence in this profession. I am proud that I have been awarded the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Associate 2019 for the excellence I showed in teaching to the undergraduate students.”

 

Sharif stays well-rounded, involving himself in many different hobbies.

 

“In my idle time, I like to play games (such as badminton, soccer, cricket, and table tennis), sing, spend quality time with my daughter and wife, and make contact with my fellow students both Bangladeshi and other countries.”

 

He shares that his exposure to diversity and cultures is what has impacted his life the most so far.

 

“I owe most of my success to a single factor: exposure to the cultural diversity in my early life. Growing up in a culturally diverse society teaches me how to endure, keep persistent with ambition, build an attitude to overcome the academic challenges, and show excellence and passion with the utmost integrity.”

 

We are proud to call Sharif an Oklahoma State University Cowboy, and our Global Student of the Month! Congratulations Sharif!