Computer science scholarship created in memory of international U of C student

Scholarship helps female computer science students A U of C scholarship will help female computer science students, and it's named after someone who spent her life doing the same.

A first-of-its-kind scholarship is being created to honour a University of Calgary computer science student who was killed last September.

The Fairooz Shafin Memorial Fund will be the only scholarship for women in the department.

It will be handed out to students entering or beyond their second year of studies.

Twenty-one-year-old Shafin was struck and killed while crossing 24 Avenue N.W. on the morning of Sept. 14, 2023.

Her friends and roommates describe the Bangladeshi international student as intelligent, eager and kind.

"She is someone who had really big ambitions," Mahira Zabin said.

"And she was not just a friend, but a companion in everything I'm interested in."

"Fairooz was a big influence in our community because she was so full of life and she tried to bring everyone close together," Fardina Rakib added.

One of Shafin's professors, Leanne Wu, had the idea earlier this year to create the endowment.

"I really saw how affected her peers were by this loss: certainly her close friends, but also the many students, clubs and activities she volunteered for," Wu said.

"We are really excited that she will have a legacy here and that legacy will be to support other students who are just like her."

Shafin was in her third year of computer science — a program that is typically male-dominated.

At the U of C, the department comprises only 24 per cent women.

That's why the faculty of science's Jessica Faulds believes the scholarship presents a unique opportunity.

"This award is really going to help bring down the financial barriers for pretty much any female student who applies for it," she said.

"It's a really big deal."

"Fairooz was someone who always worked with women in computer science," Zabin added.

"This will make the entire journey for them and for their families much easier and will take a lot of financial pressure off their shoulders."

The scholarship will be completely crowdfunded, and Faulds is currently urging Calgarians — and everyone else — to get involved.

The goal is to hit $50,000 to create a longer-lasting endowed award eventually.

Shafin's friends say it's a cause to rally behind.

"Because she is not just an iconic student to me, but I think to every single student who is flying out of their own nest all the way to the University of Calgary," Zabin said.