Habib University launched the Sultana Siddiqui Distinguished Scholarships at an inspiring event titled “The Standard – Not the Exception”, celebrating a landmark step in advancing opportunities for women in media, design, and communication. The launch brought together philanthropists, business leaders, celebrities, and the University’s community in an event that called for a reimagination of women’s inclusion in higher education.
The evening began with Christie Lauder, Assistant Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, paying tribute to founding Chancellor Rafiq M. Habib, who passed away earlier this month.
She welcomed guests and called the scholarships a befitting legacy for Pakistan’s media icon Sultana Apa. Highlighting the program’s tradition of excellence, she noted that in the CND program women lead at every level, female enrollment is the highest, and faculty include Emmy, Oscar, and Pride of Performance awardees.
Speaking to Siddiqui’s vision, Dean Lauder stressed that the scholarship is more than symbolic: it invests in women’s talent and leadership at a critical moment when global higher education faces pressure. It ensures creativity, leadership, and women’s voices in Pakistan will not just endure, but thrive. “This lasting partnership with Habib University,” she said, “will serve as a beacon of change in Pakistan and across the global creative industry.”
The audience was then treated to “Azm-e-Nau ke Naam”, a film capturing Sultana Siddiqui’s remarkable trajectory as she broke barriers in Pakistan’s media industry. The evening was carried forward with President Wasif A. Rizvi’s address, “May the Odds Be in Her Favor”, questioning why women must still “beat the odds” to succeed. He unpacked how society’s glorification of resilience conceals inequities and structures that place these odds so high in the first place. He notes that Sultana Siddiqui is an outlier in this case, as she did not “fit into” a broken structure; rather, she reshaped it by redefining whose stories were told and by whom. President Rizvi then states that at Habib University, this philosophy is lived: 42% women in leadership, 55% of students are women, and 40% female enrollment in STEM, which is higher than the Pakistani average. These outcomes, President Rizvi stressed, are not exceptions but a natural outcome of when equity is consciously built into the structure. He said, “Today these two stories, Sultana’s and Habib University’s, converge into something that was always meant-to-be.”
Taking the stage, Manahil Duraid, International Business Director at HUM TV and Siddiqui’s granddaughter, reflected on the male-dominated media industry, expressing hope that the scholarship fosters an industry where women’s leadership feels natural. The evening reached its most heartfelt moment when Sultana Siddiqui took the stage, expressing gratitude and urging young women to rebuild broken systems with equity, creativity, and dignified leadership. “Women’s success,” she reminded, “must not be seen as a rare exception, but as the standard.” To honor her contributions, President Rizvi presented a memento to Siddiqui and invited her family to join her on stage.
The launch of the Sultana Siddiqui Distinguished Scholarships serves as a timely reminder of the profound impact that visionary leaders can have when they invest in higher education. Through this landmark initiative, Habib University reaffirms its commitment to cultivating women leaders who will shape the future of media and design in Pakistan and beyond.
