Amir's story
For Amir Bashir, life has always been something that he can learn and grow from. ‘I look at life like everything is a problem that needs solving, and I’m always trying to find the answers.’ he tells us. ‘It’s why I like listening to people and trying to understand them, because I can learn something from everyone.’
Getting to the root of curiosity
‘My brain is always busy,’ Amir tells us as we start to explore where his curious nature has come from. ‘It might partly be because of my eye - I’ve been blind in one eye since a young age, and I’ve felt I’ve needed to focus more in certain areas of my life.’
‘Or it could be when I moved,’ he says, referring to his move from Saudi Arabia to the UK when he was a teenager. ‘It definitely took a second to get used to the culture here. It was like mental gymnastics at first - the culture, the way people interact, the houses… it’s all different!’
Whatever the reason, Amir acknowledges that he is constantly striving to fuel his brain. ‘It’s really important to me that the things I do challenge my mind.’
‘I think I get that from my mum, you know,’ he says as a side thought. ‘She’s really smart in life and she encourages me a lot.’
The challenge of a degree
Challenging the mind is exactly why Amir chose Accounting & Finance as a degree. ‘I did a foundation year at another university, but they cancelled the degree before I could move up into my first year,’ he explains.
‘I really wanted to do Accounting & Finance, so I went into Clearing. I spoke to several different universities, but the thing that stood out to me about Hope was how encouraging they were and it’s been a great decision. It’s a really great place.’
‘I love that my degree is challenging. You’re learning how things are meant to be run, and not many people know how to do that, and it’s something that fascinates me.’
‘And this is why I think that your tutors are so important,’ Amir goes on to tell us. ‘You need someone who can explain complicated things to you.’
‘It’s why I appreciate my tutors at Hope so much,’ he says, before continuing, ‘I do find my degree hard. But my tutor has a very good way of teaching. She’s enthusiastic and loves her job and genuinely cares about how I’m getting on.’
‘So that’s one thing I love about Hope - the lecturers engage with you and encourage you.’
Looking towards the future
With knowledge comes opportunity, and Amir is always thinking about his future. ‘I’m constantly trying to improve myself.’
‘I grew up as a Muslim so I’m constantly trying to understand the best way to live my life. I want to make myself proud and be successful.’
For Amir, Hope has been an opportunity to grow academically, and that is what he hopes to take forward into his future. ‘Whatever I do, I want to live my life in a way where I’m constantly learning. I love the auditing side of my course and the challenge it presents. I like being able to understand niche areas, so I’d quite like to explore that as a career option.’
‘Whatever I end up doing, I think that my degree has definitely fuelled my desire to always learn.’