USA Doctoral Student Recognized with Prestigious National Award

---

Posted on November 11, 2021

Joy Washington

---

---

Abritty Abdullah, a doctoral student in the University of South Alabama’s instructional design and development program in the College of Education and Professional Studies, is the recipient of the 2021 Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Award.

The award is given by the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. The Love of Learning Award is one of the most prestigious awards for post-baccalaureate study given by the society. 

Abdullah said she is pleased to have been chosen as the recipient of this outstanding award. 

“I am extremely grateful to the Phi Kappa Phi honor society for considering me worthy of their highly competitive Love of Learning award for my Ph.D. and research,” said Abdullah. “Phi Kappa Phi’s acknowledgement of my academic work gives me hope that I have something to contribute in my field of study, where I want to explore the experiences of marginalized individuals in education professions.”

Abdullah is from Dhaka, Bangladesh. She also is a graduate assistant at South and will begin working on her dissertation soon.

“As I am moving towards my dissertation phase, I want to reflect on my personal experiences as an international student in two different universities in the United States," she said. "I am embarking on a journey to study what other international students have been going through amid the pandemic, where all my classes were moved online.”

Abdullah, the daughter of Umme Muslima and AHM Abdullah, says the award is a tribute to her grandmother.

“The news of this award came right after I lost my loving grandma," she said. "I dedicate my “Love of Learning” award to my grandma, who was an avid reader, who could even forget to eat if there was a book in her hand.”

---