STEP Alumni

The Institute’s global alumni body now comprises up to 800 graduates dispersed across the world.

STEP Cohort 17 graduates in academic gowns at a graduation ceremony at the Ismaili Centre.

They are supported in their continuing professional and career development through the IIS Alumni Relations Unit. STEP graduates will also be alumni of SOAS. The IIS Alumni Association offers our graduates a number of services and benefits, including:

  • Professional development and networking opportunities at Annual Chapter Group meetings of the IIS Alumni Association, Alumni Lecture, and Local Meet & Greet events;
  • Access to funding of up to £1000 for research, publishing monographs and articles, presenting research papers at conferences, and attending courses supporting their research activities;
  • Access to the customised Career Support Programme;
  • Leadership opportunities to become a regional President or Secretary for the Alumni Chapter Groups in Asia, Europe or North America;
  • Access to facilities at the Aga Khan Centre, including the Aga Khan Library, London;
  • Access to global job opportunities, conferences and events, as well as the international alumni directory via the IIS Alumni Online Community Portal;
  • Opportunities to publish articles in the annual Alumni Magazine, which features academic and professional contributions of IIS alumni and much more;
  • The opportunity to become an alumni mentor to current IIS students and new graduates through the IIS Alumni Mentorship Programme;

A range of Continuing Professional Development initiatives is in place for the STEP graduates, enabling them to enhance their skills and capabilities. As the STEP initiative takes root in different countries across the world, many opportunities for teacher exchange are emerging, offering international experience as well as facilitating knowledge transfer across cultures. Further, with the growing network of Aga Khan Academies and partnerships with schools operated by the Aga Khan Education Services, graduates of STEP have opportunities to teach beyond the religious education system, contributing to the education of secondary students in the wider community.

Read further information on our alumni page.

What our Alumni say?

Nabila Esmail, STEP C16 alumna, in graduation gown and cap.

Nabila Esmail

Canada, C16

The STEP Programme was a truly transformative experience for me. not just academically, but personally and spiritually as well. Through the classes, the questions we wrestled with, and the conversations with my cohort, I learned a lot about the world around me, but even more about myself. Exploring London together was an added bonus that made the experience even more memorable.

Ahmed Nayyar, STEP C17 alumnus, in graduation gown and cap at the Ismaili Centre.

Ahmad Nayyar

Pakistan, C-16

When I look back and think of the STEP journey I took from Pakistan to the UK, I find it truly transformative. During my time as a STEP student teacher, we engaged in critical discussions on faith, ritual and practice, philosophy, Qur’anic studies, and history, and this widened my horizons