How First-Year GW Students Led the Way in Supporting Refugee Communities

August 30, 2024

Authored by:

Nick Erickson

At this time three years ago-late summer 2021-thousands of Afghans fled their homeland seeking refuge following the Taliban's takeover. No matter where they landed, whether it was Qatar, Germany or the United States, their lives abruptly changed when they wound up at refugee camps and eventually resettled in parts of the world completely foreign to them.

Adapting to a new culture so suddenly was no small task for these Afghan refugees, but for those who landed on the East Coast-and specifically those with school-aged children in Fairfax County, Virginia-there was a built-in resource spearheaded by two students who have just begun their studies at the George Washington University.

First-year public health majors Husna Basiri and Sosan Barakzai were sophomores at Annandale High School at the climax of the Taliban insurgency in August 2021. The two students, Afghanistan immigrants themselves, had already gone through a period of culture shock and acclimation when suddenly thousands more from their native land were tasked with the same challenge.

Six of them eventually enrolled at Annandale High School, where its Multicultural Education Department Chair Meredith Hedrick, M.Ed. '04, sought ways to support these refugee students.

Hoping Basiri and Barakzai could be assets because they spoke the language and could relate to the experience of starting anew in a completely unfamiliar environment, Hedrick gaged whether the pair, among others, would be interested in starting a club for the new faces to find community among one another as they navigated their new lives.

It turned out Basiri and Barakzai-who didn't know each other well at the time-were also looking for ways to help.

"My own experiences made me passionate about helping others who faced similar challenges," said Barakzai, who admitted to struggling with the language barrier and feeling isolated when she first arrived at the end of her fifth-grade year from Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul. "Having supportive teachers and classmates helped me slowly overcome these challenges and build confidence. I wanted to provide other students with that support."

Thus, a partnership was formed, and the Dunya-essentially meaning "world" in Farci, Arabic, Urdu and Hindi-Club was born under a three-fold mission: provide refugees with a community and sense of belonging, getting them used to education in the United States and introducing them to U.S. culture. Originally built for the six Afghan refugees, the club eventually grew to 30 members by the time Basiri and Barakzai graduated last spring and, true to their namesake, opened its arms to students from Pakistan, Central America and even Russia and Ukraine.

While Basiri and Barakzai have started the next chapter of their own lives at GW, they feel immensely proud of the foundation they built and believe the Dunya Club will continue to be a valuable resource for refugees and immigrants new to the U.S. snd specifically Fairfax County.

"For me, being part of the club and helping other refugee students was a way to give back," said Basiri, whose family took advantage of a DV lottery opportunity and moved to the U.S. from Kabul in February 2020. "I wanted to create a welcoming environment and ensure that new students had the resources and support they needed to succeed. Seeing the progress and success of those students was very rewarding."

How much Basiri and Barakzai put into the club is a huge reason for its continued growth and lasting impact. They turned over every stone they could to foster an inclusive, welcoming and helpful environment.

In tapping community grants, they advocated for the school to have cricket equipment available so refugees could play a sport they were familiar with in their previous lives. They created a prayer room for Muslim students and eventually opened a prayer and meditation room available to all students. Eventually, Friday prayer sessions grew from 10 to 70 participants. They also created a game club within the club so new students could feel welcome, grow confidence and practice the language in a safe environment.

In addition, Basiri and Barakzai showed the new students how the cafeteria worked and specifically which foods were Halal friendly-they were all pleased to find out candy such as Nerds and Sour Patch Kids fit the criteria. They also taught their refugee schoolmates how to turn in assignments and talked to teachers and administrators about updating the school's grading policy-where they successfully advocated for a more balanced weight between tests and assignments. They also created a spreadsheet for scholarship opportunities for refugee and immigrant students.

"[All of this] showed me that advocating for change can be effective, even though it can take time," Basiri said.

This innate attention to detail and obvious care for others was never a surprise to Hedrick, who said GW is getting a pair of global citizens and humanitarians in Basiri and Barakzai.

"Their moral character and instincts are just unparalleled, but what makes them so special is their relationship building," Hedrick said. "They are curious, and they are really good at understanding other people's perspectives. They're really good at communicating, but it's their actions and their follow through that are really unique."

Barakzai even helped some of the refugees get jobs at the bubble tea store where she works and couldn't help but to beam talking about the powerful image-which she's seen and been a part of plenty of times-of Muslim women and girls in hijabs closing a business at the end of the night together, essentially unfathomable in current Afghanistan.

The pair came to GW in part because of its diversity and because they thought this could be a place they could continue making a difference on behalf of others. They feel especially motivated to pursue big things in the world because of what is happening in the one they once inhabited as the Taliban shut down girls' secondary schools across Afghanistan.

"We both feel a strong sense of responsibility to give back. We're aware of the opportunities we have here and want to make a difference for those still in Afghanistan," Basiri said. "Whether it's through supporting refugees or advocating for education, we are committed to using our experiences to help others."

They are both pursuing degrees, Basiri in biological studies at the Corcoran School of Arts and Sciences and Barakzai at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, with sights set on one day going to medical school-ambitions they shoulder for both themselves and others around the "dunya."

"Many girls in Afghanistan have their dreams cut short due to the lack of educational opportunities," Barakzai said. "We hope to pursue a career in medicine to contribute to the future of those who, despite their potential, face significant barriers to education and personal growth."