Emdad Rahman
The Excel Awards 2018 have celebrated the magical efforts of high achieving students and local residents who volunteer to make their communities better places to live in.
The Awards at Care House, Watney Market, east London were hosted by Zoinul Abidin and chaired by Shibbir Kawsar.
The Excel Awards are a community project and celebrate high achievers from schools, colleges, universities, as well as the achievements of local heroes who improve the quality of life within their respective communities.
In his introduction Abidin addressed the guests, “Our motto is to celebrate excellence, from young children, to seniors and this is a great way of recognising and celebrating their fantastic achievements. We are here to celebrate their successes and to share their inspiring stories.
“This is a stepping stone for what we hope will be a fantastic future for the youth and a celebration of the positive impact of the adults.”
The evening celebration was attended by over 100 nominees and guests.
Excel Awards Chairman Kawsar added, “I feel greatly inspired myself when I look at the quality of award winners in this room. I’m inspired by the way people offer their services to benefit others. I want to thank everyone for their dedication in making our community a greater place.
“We recognise that academic achievements alone are not sufficient to usher in change. Community activists and organisations are extremely important too and it is for this reason we also honour those who made exceptional contribution to our community.”
Maswood Ahmed, the CEO of Inspire a Million quoted Venus Williiams, “One who is persistent will excel.”
The motivational speaker addressed the youngsters and spoke to them about the need to be regular and consistent on the rocky road to success. He added, “I am truly humbled by the success stories I have heard today, stories that will inspire me to work ever harder for the common good and share the success stories to inspire the young generation. I am indebted to the organisers for their hard work and for allowing me the opportunity to be part of this celebration.”
Guest speakers included Dr Abul Kalam Azad and Imam Kazi Ashiqur Rahman.
Local teacher Husnara Begum commented, “We are at a stage where our children are doing really well. What we need to do is to ensure our children are excelling and doing things to the best of their ability – That is the principle we live by.”
Keeping with a tradition which started in 2006, this year over 40 unique individuals were awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for academic success, professional achievements and distinguished services to the community. The quality and high standards of achievements were truly remarkable.
Award winners included Abidur Rahman, Abdal Ahmed, Khoyrul Shaheed, Fariha Uddin, Hamza Rahman and Stepney Football Club under 16’s for services to the community.
In the degree category, a good number of nominees were given Gold Awards for securing 1st Class Honours in their respective studies, including Falah Noor in Biology, Humayra Chowdhury in Economics and Joynal Hussain in Business IT.
Mulberry School pupil Jameelah Ahmed has fundraised and participated in the annually organised Deaf Run. The inspirational youngster is studying theology in the evenings, is a martial artist and supports her father who is wheelchair bound. Her outstanding achievements were held up as a beacon for all to be inspired by.
Dawatul Islam UK President Hasan Mueenuddin concluded, “ As adults we must celebrate the gifts of our children and our community activists. We can however go higher but this doesn’t come cheap – It requires discipline, commitment and sleepless nights. If we use our gifts to support our young people we are guaranteed to have access to their talents for the greater good.”
The Excel Awards are an annual award giving ceremony to recognise achievements, celebrate success and inspire change. This year, the Excel Award is sponsored and supported by Darul Ummah Saturday School and Spiral Sunday School.