Nitya Thawani
Hi there, I'm Nitya and I'm a first-year Graphic Communication and Illustration student at the University. As an international student from Dubai, I've loved adjusting to life in Loughborough and it's starting to feel more like home every day. Drawing, art, and Illustration have always been passions of mine, both as a hobby and as part of academia, and I'd someday like to have a career in Graphics or Illustration. I’m a great believer in the power of visual communication, especially for projects like these which aim to inspire and inform other people in the world around us, and I think as a medium it is unparalleled. My Indian heritage makes me feel quite connected to Mary Kom's plight to represent Indian Women in Sports on a global scale - She is a record-breaking machine and is out to change history. Hopefully, she offers some inspiration for you too, and she's an example that you can do anything you set your mind to.
Mary Kom
Mary Kom or “Magnificent Mary”, as she is often nicknamed, is a fierce Indian athlete who is not only breaking records and changing boxing history but also setting an example to culturally-restricted girls who probably never thought they’d be able to don a pair of boxing gloves and unleash the less ‘dainty’ aspects of their personality.
Kom has come from a poor background in the rural town of Manipur, India, to being the only woman to become World Amateur Boxing champion six times, the only female boxer to have won a medal in each of the seven boxing World Championships, as well as the only boxer to win eight World Championship medals. She was the sole female qualifier for her sport in her country in the 2012 Olympics, at which she brought home a bronze medal.
She now has a road named after her, a Padma Vibhushan (national prize of excellence) and is an incumbent member of the Indian Parliament. She is an inspiration to all young girls and older women who want to excel, not just in sports but in life. Her achievements set an example of the barriers women can break and the benefits we can reap with dedication and strong mentality.
