I am an Afghan girl from a country that has been at war for decades despite that people have not lost hope. I was born in 2007, and since I was born, there has been war in this country, and women, in particular, have suffered a lot of pain and hardship. And I was one of those girls whose life was shaped by the arrival of the Taliban in 2021. I was a very diligent and hardworking student, not just a student, but a role model for my friends and classmates. I had many happy days and was very happy to go to school and spend my days with my friends and teachers, but I didn’t know that this happiness would one day turn into sadness, and that was the day the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.

It was 2021; everyone was smiling and very peaceful, but I will never forget that day when the people of Afghanistan outside were so terrified, and the fear in their eyes was obvious. The fear was that the Taliban had entered Kabul and taken control of Kabul, and everyone was worried about their fate and the future of their children and family. Well, after the Taliban entered Kabul, people had some hope that the Americans were still there, but a day later, news came that American soldiers were leaving Afghanistan, which disappointed people even more and increased their concerns leaving them terrified.

With the departure of American soldiers, the people of Afghanistan, fearing for their lives and livelihoods, gradually left their country and became refugees. Thousands of people lost their lives on that terrible day. The day the Taliban arrived in Kabul, my family was also worried; my father lost his job, I couldn’t go to school, and no one knew what would happen, whether we would continue living there or if we should leave Afghanistan because there was no hope left.

My father is a successful engineer and has always helped the Americans in Afghanistan. He was working with US Army CORPS of Engineering for 18 years. On the day the Taliban came to Kabul my father was in his office and this was his last work day. The situation was so bad to live in Afghanistan especially for my father because he was one of the American Allies. We decided to leave the country, but one day my father got an email from the US state department to stay at home and be patient and we will evacuate you very soon with your family. In 2023 we evacuated from Kabul to Doha.

In 2022 when we were still living in Kabul I was hoping that I would go back to school and continue my education. It was the first day of the new year; all my clothes were ready for school, my books, all my necessary things for school. I was eating breakfast, and while I was doing that, I turned on the TV and heard the news that suddenly tears flowed from my eyes, and I thought that my life was ruined and all the dreams I had in mind were destroyed. What’s the news? “The news that girls can not go to school!” When I heard this news, I was very terrified  that thousands of other girls like me could not go to school and had no future in Afghanistan.

I couldn’t go to school for two years. But other English classes were available for me to study, and I continued them and never accepted defeat in the face of the unjust conditions of the Taliban and always tried to achieve whatever I wanted with my own hard work. The year 2023 was the year I left Afghanistan, my beloved and suffering country, just to achieve my dreams because there was no hope left in Afghanistan. We departed from Kabul to Doha and from Doha to Virginia and it was a very happy moment for me and my family because it was a great opportunity to achieve my dreams.

In the US, I enrolled in Annandale High School and continued my education here. I spent my early years at Annandale High School as an ESOL student because English was not my first language. I speak Dari with my family at home.  I was a sophomore, and I was always asking my teachers for help. Asking is not a problem but rather a way to achieve new things. I didn’t have any knowledge about the IB diploma, but I asked my counselor, my teachers, and my friends about it, but everyone said different things about it. My teachers encouraged me to do it, but my friends and some of my relatives said it’s hard for you and you can not do it; instead, I listened to my teachers and my parents. They said, “Wanting is being able. If you want something, try it, work hard for it; why should it be difficult for you?” I listened to them and chose to be an IB candidate.

IB classes are very difficult and hard to stay on task, such as staying up late at night and a lot of assignments, but I never gave up. I have always wanted to be a good child, first to my family and then to the society I live in, and I always strive to achieve my goals through my own efforts. I want to be a good role model not only for my friends but for everyone to just study hard for what they want. Because only by studying can they build a bright future for themselves. And I hope that one day my homeland, Afghanistan, will have these opportunities, and students will be able to achieve their dreams, especially the girls.