Tabreek started her education from the Foundation Public School in Karachi, which followed the British education system (Cambridge curriculum) after completing one year of early years learning at Head Start, Karachi. Her family moved to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in 2010 and she enrolled at the QSI International School of Bishkek (QSIB), which follows the American curriculum and is accredited with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in United States. Building upon the strong foundation of her education in Pakistan, she was able to flourish under the American education system. As the system focuses on holistic learning, personality development, and other important traits, it provided an excellent opportunity for Tabreek to develop her innate potential. She settled well in the new system and in her new culturally-diverse environment. In her first year at QSIB, she also got an opportunity to be a StuCo (Student Council) representative for her class.
She has been the youngest member in her class and has been able to consistently demonstrate excellence in her academic program as well as in extra and co-curricular activities. She particularly enjoys mathematics, languages including French, creative writing and scientific inquiry. She consistently goes beyond the required standards and pushes her boundaries to take her work to the next level, which has been evident from the comments and feedback from all of her teachers over the past four years. Her advanced capabilities are evident from her excellent performance in a broad spectrum of activities including science fairs, spelling bees, publication of stories and poems, art work, sports, and various after school activities including music and dance.
“I have taught Tabreek for one year now, and her academic performance is consistently exemplary. In addition to her individual performance, she has proven herself to be a very influential informal leader among her peers” (Tabreek’s grade 7 homeroom teacher Mr. Christopher Ralph Manning).
“I found her to possess a drive far beyond her fellow students. Among a class of high achievers, Tabreek stood out. Tabreek consistently performed higher in all subjects. She achieved at an exceptional level in mathematics and science, but she insisted upon furthering her knowledge through questions related to applying those easily acquired skills to real life situations. Not content with her already high level of writing, Tabreek was always curious about better ways of expressing herself. In the social sciences, Tabreek showed a genuine interest and appreciation of history, often connecting new material with the topics learned in prior years. In doing so, Tabreek went beyond simply being aware of world events. She aimed to understand the causes of those events and to relating them world she lives in today” (Tabreek’s grade 6 homeroom teacher, Mr. Kurt Rix).
Tabreek has been ranked at 95 percentile in Mathematics, Reading and Language Usage in the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing of Northwest Evaluation Association. Her overall achievements during the academic year 2013-14 are summarized below:
- Successful completion of the 12 years old program (she received As in all 78 units)
- Presidential Physical Fitness Award singed by the President of the United States
- First Position in Spelling Bee 2014 (12-13 years age group) organized by QSIB – Tabreek was also the winner of Spelling Bee 2013 and Spelling Bee 2011, and was the second runner up of the Spelling Bee 2012.
- Participation in the Annual Science Fair 2014 – her science project was related to the comparative effect of vinegar and lemon juice on quick lime
- Successful completion of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) through edX
- Principles of Written English (University of California, Berkeley)
- Principles of Written English – Part 3 (University of California, Berkeley)
- Effective Thinking Through Mathematics (University of Texas System)
- The Science of Everyday Thinking (University of Queensland)
- Becoming a Resilient Person: The Science of Stress Management and Promoting Wellbeing (University of Washington)
- Successful completion of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) through Coursera
- Critical Thinking in Global Challenges (University of Edinburgh)
- Think Again: How to Reason and Argue (Duke University)
- Certificate of Completion: The Hour of Code (www.code.org)
- Voluntary Service at the University of Central Asia
- Participated in Annual Fund Run 2013-14 and collectively with her siblings (Faizaan and Manaaim Somani) raised over 6,000 Kyrgyz Soms through sponsorships for STUCO (Student Council) activities at QSI International School of Bishkek
To date, Tabreek’s nine poems and three stories/narratives have been published in “KidsWWwrite”, which is an online anthology for young writers and readers established in 2001 by the Department of English at Okanagan College, Canada (ISSN 1703-3020). Five of her narratives have also featured in the QSI’s weekly newsletter. Her five art works and eight poems have been published in the “Young World”, which is children’s weekly magazine in Daily Dawn and her 39 art pieces have been published in “artSonia” Museum – the largest online artwork collection for children.
QSIB also implements a success orientations program, which comprises seven character traits. The program is an integral part of the school and plays an important role in holistic development of learners. These traits are group interaction, responsibility, independent endeavour, concern for others, kindness and politeness, aesthetic appreciation, trustworthiness. Being exposed to success orientations; and the rigor and educational context at the International School over the last four years will allow Tabreek a smooth transition. This will also allow effective integration with IB learners profile and the Aga Khan Academy’s curricular strands when she joins the Aga Khan Academy’s Middle Years Program (grade 8) in Mombasa in August 2014.
Sharing her excitement and expectations Tabreek commented: “The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa will allow me to explore myself and become a global citizen. This will yield a chance for me to meet a diverse group of students, which will serve as an amazing learning experience for group interaction. Being among a pluralistic community will provide a chance for me to appreciate various cultures. I will also be able to increase my leadership capabilities because of the many opportunities for leadership positions within the academy, for example, house leaders, student council, dorm duties, and team captains. It would allow me to apply my education and knowledge towards the socioeconomic development of the community at large in general and developing countries in particular. I will be able to participate in many community service projects and enhance my knowledge about community partnership. It will assist me to successfully learn how to approach leadership opportunities in a pluralistic and ethical manner.”
Some work of poetry, art-work and articles by Tabreek:
- Scenery by Tabreek grade 6 Kyrgyzstan
- How to Play Corner Corner
- Healthy Eating Habits
- The Mystery of the Haunted House
- The Storm
- Sunny Day
- Happy New Year
- Tree
- Sunset
- Waterfall
- Teachers
- A Beautiful Butterfly
- Months
- My Continuing Educational Journey in Diverse Cultural Settings
- The French class’s visit to Ratatouille
- French Holiday In The Class
- My Experience in Pakistan
- Renaissance Biographies by the 11 Y. O. Class
Ismailimail 