Nadia stands outside the entrance of the International Center and speaks with a colleague. The colleague's back is to us. We see Nadia, wearing a white and blue diamond patterned hajib and large pearl earrings in the shape of a flower, gesture with her hands as she speaks.
Dr. Nadia Bostan (2022, Pakistan) serves as a research officer (horticulture) at Agriculture Research Institute in Pakistan. (TJ Ushing/UC Davis)

Meet Dr. Nadia Bostan, 2022-23 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow

To get to know the 2022-23 Humphrey fellows, we asked them about their lives, work and hopes for the future. Here are Dr. Nadia Bostan’s answers in her own words.

Dr. Nadia Bostan

What motivates you? 

About Dr. Nadia Bostan

Pronouns: she/her

Country: Pakistan

Occupation: Agriculturist

Field: Agriculture

Learn more about Nadia

"My previous exposure and learning at Washington State University motivate me to learn new agriculture techniques. That was less time, and now this is a pretty long time with many opportunities to visit new areas of my interest and meet some technical people, so I think it is a great opportunity to learn new techniques in my field." 

What drew you to your professional field?

"Belonging to a horticultural family (having a brother and late father as horticulturists), I grew up seeing my father working all his life as a layman horticulturist. He was a person who did not have any formal agriculture education, rather a high school education, but his devotion and hard work made him want to start a horticulture business on a very small scale and then promote it to the level that he became the first Pakistani to export grafted walnuts to the Netherlands. He educated his kids (both sons and daughters without any difference) with high education. He was always open to accepting new agricultural techniques and learnings with clear evidence in the implementation of all learnings, which he learned from the Swiss-funded Project for Horticulture Promotion back in the 1990s. Seeing his hard work and success in this field, I decided to select horticulture as my professional field with the aim to equip my countrymen with modern and updated agricultural knowledge." 

Why did you apply for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program?

"I already had a good exposure and learning from Washington State University, which broadened my vision to learn some new techniques for the development of my field. As this fellowship is a multicultural fellowship, I look towards it as the best opportunity to learn new techniques. In this fellowship, not only will I get the opportunity to visit USA fields and meet the professionals, but will also get the opportunity to meet and learn from other fellows across the globe sharing the same program and objectives as mine."

What do you hope to take away from this fellowship and apply to your work or at home?

"This fellowship would help me to learn about the berry industry from farm to market and project management, which could help me to achieve my goals efficiently."

What is something from your country that you would like to share with the UC Davis community?

"I would love to share the culture and horticulture of Pakistan with a specific focus on Pashtun culture, the horticulture of District Swat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (my hometown), and the role of women in agriculture development." 

How would you like to engage with UC Davis and the community here?

"To be part of UC Davis and the community, I will participate in routine activities of the program as per the fellowship requirements. Secondly, on different events like cultural days, seminars and field days, I would love to share my culture, traditions, agriculture status and techniques with a special focus on the role of women in agriculture."


 

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