College News

Young Citizen of the Year achieves further success

Sharifah Rahman, an exceptional student at QE, is to continue her interest in politics by studying the subject at Newcastle University after securing excellent A level results in Geography, Law and Politics.

Sharifah, the winner of the Young Citizen of the Year at the Best of Darlington Awards in 2016, is an inspirational young woman who is making a real difference in her community due to her commitment to challenging prejudices, stereotypes and misconceptions.

Being a victim of hate crime and knowing the hurt it brings, Sharifah felt motivated to do something about it. She didn’t believe in sitting back and doing nothing but wanted to bring about change. She and two friends visited a local school and held educational Question and Answer sessions about Islam and what’s it like being a Muslim with the aim of helping to break prejudices.

With the support of Darlington MP Jenny Chapman, Sharifah established the beginning of a Peace Campaign. BBC Tees gave radio time to raise awareness of the campaign, and Sharifah was able to speak about the effects of hate crimes on victims and the need to eradicate such crimes by communities coming together. Durham Constabulary and PCC Ron Hogg have also shown their support. Sharifah has also recently set up a Stand Up to Racism group in Darlington.

In her gap year between College and taking up her place at Newcastle University, Sharifah is planning to continue her passion for social and political activism with further strategies and campaigns to combat hate crime. She has recently made a speech in Newcastle at a vigil for the victims of the Finsbury Park attack.

Laurence Job, Vice Principal at QE, comments “Sharifah is a remarkable young woman.She has a tremendous amount of drive and energy, and I am delighted that her excellent A level results have enabled her to study at university a subject she feels so passionate about. She has a wonderful future ahead of her.”