Asha Khemka
From the small, sleepy town of Sitamarhi in Bihar, it has been a unique journey for Asha Khemka, who arrived in Britain without any English language skills and went on to change the lives of thousands of British students.
Awarded often for her work in the field of education, Khemka was honoured with one of Britain’s top civilian awards, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, which is the female equivalent of knighthood. She was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2008.
Nearly 40 years ago, Asha came to the UK with her husband and kids, totally clueless about the place. In the initial days, she would learn English from TV shows and by talking with other young mothers like herself. Eventually, her insatiable hunger for education made her get a business degree from Cardiff University. That was just the beginning.
She took over as principal and CEO of West Nottinghamshire College, one of the largest colleges in the UK. In 2013, she was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, one of the UK's top civilian's awards, the female equivalent of knighthood. She is the second woman of Indian origin to have received it.