The late Jaleel Ahmad, professor emeritus in Concordia’s Department of Economics | Photo courtesy: Elizabeth Henrik
Growing up in a middle-class family in British India, the Ahmads’ father was a police officer whose family responsibilities prevented his own pursuit of higher education — so he strongly encouraged and made it possible for his sons to go to college, sometimes under difficult economic and political circumstances following India’s independence and partition in 1947.
“It was our father’s push that sent us all to college, where we achieved the highest academic degrees,” says Aqueil Ahmad. The three brothers earned PhDs, becoming an economist, a microbiologist and a psychologist, respectively.
Their higher education in the United States was supported through scholarships and fellowships, so Aqueil Ahmad fully understands the value of financial awards to graduate and postgraduate students.
He chose to designate the Professor Jaleel Ahmad Scholarship endowment for students in the Department of Economics at Concordia who share his brother’s passions: international economics, international trade and development, and East-West economic relations.
Aqueil Ahmad established a scholarship in memory of his late brother Jaleel. | Photo credit: Louise Morgan