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Bridging Financial Literacy and ESL Education: How College Students Empowered Pakistani Youth with Sammy Rabbit
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Special Guest Blog

In this special Be the Change guest blog, two inspiring students, Uswah Alpial - University of Texas at Dallas and Summer Lakhani - The University of Texas at Austin, share their reflections on a unique three-level collaboration between:

This student-led project delivered English language learning and foundational money lessons to children in rural Pakistan. As a special bonus, you’ll also find a collection of inspiring project videos at the end of the blog.

From Village Visit to Vision: How Breaking Barriers Was Born

In 2020, I (Uswah) visited a women’s government degree college in a rural village in Pakistan. I was there to speak about the power of education—but what I discovered would change everything.

Many of the girls I met were quietly dropping out of their classes and even full degree programs. Not because they lacked intelligence or drive—but because they couldn’t understand textbooks written in English. These were some of the most hardworking, passionate students I had ever encountered, yet they faced a language barrier that made education feel unreachable.

That visit opened my eyes. English wasn’t just another subject—it was a gatekeeper, standing between these girls and the futures they deserved. I returned to the U.S. with a new mission: to break down that barrier.

Soon after, I founded Breaking Barriers Through Education, a student-led initiative providing free ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction to underserved students in Pakistan. What started with a few online sessions has now grown into full partnerships with schools—including our role as the U.S. faculty for The Mark Grammar School in Khanewal, serving students aged 4 to 10.

A Rabbit Sparks a Revolution: Discovering Sammy

"We knew immediately: this was the perfect fit."

As we searched for new ways to make our curriculum more engaging and meaningful, Summer Lakhani discovered Sammy Rabbit—a character who teaches children foundational money habits and the importance of believing in themselves and their big dreams.

We knew immediately: this was the perfect fit. Sammy’s stories could do more than teach English—they could teach life lessons that our students had never encountered in any formal setting.

Summer reached out to the Sammy Rabbit team and shared our idea: a week-long English learning program rooted in Sammy’s themes and values. With enthusiastic support from the team—and generous book donations from Susan Doty, Founding Director of the Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy at UT Tyler—we began building something special.

Why This Work Matters (In Our Own Words)

Summer Lakhani:
I connected to this mission on a personal level. As the daughter of immigrants—my mom from Pakistan and my dad from India—English wasn’t spoken at home. I often became the translator for my family, whether at school, in hospitals, or at gas stations where I worked alongside my dad.

I know what it feels like to navigate life without strong English skills. And I know how empowering it is to finally understand and be understood. That’s why helping build this Sammy Rabbit–themed ESL week meant so much to me. It was a way to give these kids tools I wish my family and I had earlier.

Building a Bilingual Financial Literacy Curriculum

Here’s how we brought Sammy Rabbit’s lessons to life across our English program:

  • Vocabulary: Led by Maryam Abbasi, students learned key money terms and motivational words like “save,” “habit,” and “dream.”

  • Reading Comprehension: Guided by Alishba Khalid, students explored Sammy’s stories and answered thoughtful questions to deepen understanding.

  • Listening Comprehension: Run by Zehra Rizvi, this segment featured storytelling and reflective discussion.

  • Grammar: Taught by Insa Qureshi and Uswah Alpial, grammar concepts were woven into Sammy’s adventures.

The curriculum was designed and structured by:

  • Zoya Sohail, Director of Syllabus – ensured learning objectives and age alignment.

  • Diya Dharani, Head of Operations – managed logistics and coordination.

  • Summer Lakhani – led lesson integration and sourced all Sammy Rabbit materials.

Teaching That Transforms: What We Saw

For our students, this week was about more than learning English. It was about discovering what’s possible.

Most had never been introduced to the concepts of saving money or setting goals. But through Sammy’s stories, they gained not only new vocabulary and grammar—but also a sense of confidence and hope.

As one 9-year-old student said:

“I never knew saving could help make dreams come true. I want to save for something big now.”

This experience wasn’t just a lesson—it was a launchpad.

A Movement Begins: What’s Next

We’re incredibly grateful to the Sammy Rabbit team for their trust and generosity, and to Susan Doty, Founding and Executive Director of the Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy at The University of Texas at Tyler, for helping make this initiative possible.

What started as a simple idea turned into something powerful. This is just the beginning of the kind of global impact we envision—where learning English also means learning to dream big, build good habits, and believing in yourself.

Get Involved: Be Part of the Movement

Whether you're a student, educator, or simply someone who believes in educational equity—we invite you to join us.

Together, we can teach kids more than words. We can teach them the habits and hope they need to build brighter futures.

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