KOZHIKODE: For many in the state, the lockdown period was a way to explore their hitherto untapped talents and creative abilities. Even as painting, bottle art and other such creative endeavours were becoming all the rage, 16-year-old Haya Ishaqu chose to use this period to learn new subjects and complete online courses from various universities.
Haya, who recently passed her Class X examination with full A Plus grade, completed seven online courses from foreign and national universities during the lockdown and is presently pursuing her eighth.
"I'm not very focused when it comes to my career. Before choosing a stream of academics for my higher studies, I wanted to try a few new courses. The lockdown helped me do that," said Haya, who is a student at the St Joseph Anglo Indians School, Convent Road, Kozhikode. Her father had given her wholehearted support and also introduced her to various universities, she added.
So far, the Koottuli resident has successfully completed courses including Psychological First Aid from John Hopkins University, Diabetes: The Essential Facts from the University of Copenhagen, Introduction to Criminal Law from the Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, US, and Archeoastronomy from Politecnico Milano, Italy, at the beginner level. In the meantime, Haya also found some time for her other hobbies such as writing poems and sketching.
Now that she is familiar with a number of courses, Haya wants to study either Mass Communication or Biology. "Nothing has been finalised yet. It just so happened that the lockdown period gave me a chance to explore a number of new subjects. I will definitely want to do this in the future as well," she said.