Masooma Hashemi ‘25 and Yesieniia Kudriavtseva ‘26 Receive the Alpine Fellowship Refugee Prize

Bard College Berlin students Masooma Hashemi and Yesieniia Kudriavtseva have been awarded the Alpine Fellowship Refugee Scholar Prize for 2025. The annual prize, worth £2,500, recognizes outstanding students at Bard College Berlin who identify as refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, or stateless persons. This year, it was granted based on essays responding to the theme of “Fear.” 

According to Dr. Jeffrey Champlin, Director of the Learning Commons at Bard College Berlin, this year’s recipients were awarded for the originality of their submissions, among other things: “The committee noted the timely and powerful dimension of Masooma's work on the development of Afghan politics through a female lens. They praised Yesieniia's entry in terms of her contribution to musical education focused on underfunded or underrepresented communities,” Champlin noted. 

For Heshami, this award represents not only an achievement, but also a recognition of her identity: “Being the first in my family and generation to graduate from university, it’s beyond an honor to receive the Alpine Fellowship Refugee Scholar Prize,” Heshami shared. “It shows that even in exile, our voices can be heard and our stories can matter,” she stated. This achievement only reaffirmed her ongoing effort of bridging academia and activism: “ For me, this prize is not just recognition; it’s a reminder to keep bringing together my activism and my academic work, and to keep fighting for a future where Afghan women are free to learn, to speak, and to live with dignity.”

Kudriavtseva says it provided her with a sense of security and possibility for the future: “It’s reassuring to know that the ideas and topics I care deeply about are being recognized and valued. This prize is not only financial support but also a sort of confidence boost, reminding me that my work has relevance and deserves to be continued.”

The Alpine Fellowship is a charitable foundation that supports, commissions and showcases artists, writers, academics and playwrights, and is committed to discovering emerging talent, to disseminating new ideas and sharing thoughts about art, literature and philosophy.
The Alpine Fellowship Refugee Scholar Prize is awarded in partnership with Bard College Berlin and The Hannah Arendt Center. It is part of a multi-stakeholder pledge for UNCHR’s 15% by 2030: Global Pledge on Refugee Higher Education and Self Reliance.

Post Date: 10-15-2025