Nargiz was 12-years-old and living in Kabul when she learned she and her family would be smuggled out of Afghanistan in the hopes of getting an education. Leaving by night, through the snow and over the border into Iran, Nargiz wondered if she would ever return. Four months after arriving in the U.S., Nargiz joined The AjA Project.
In 2008 Nargiz went to Iran and ran her own participatory photography program for young Afghan women struggling to continue their education. Through her own story, Nargiz, like 1000 other AjA students, realized she was in a unique position to increase global and cultural awareness by helping others. Additionally, in 2008, she represented The AjA Project at the White House, where the agency received the Coming Up Taller Presidential award for excellence in youth programming. Nargiz is not only a role model for young Afghan women and for refugee youth living in the U.S., but for everyone hoping for a better a future and a better world.
In 2008 Nargiz went to Iran and ran her own participatory photography program for young Afghan women struggling to continue their education. Through her own story, Nargiz, like 1000 other AjA students, realized she was in a unique position to increase global and cultural awareness by helping others. Additionally, in 2008, she represented The AjA Project at the White House, where the agency received the Coming Up Taller Presidential award for excellence in youth programming. Nargiz is not only a role model for young Afghan women and for refugee youth living in the U.S., but for everyone hoping for a better a future and a better world.
“AjA has always been the first thing on my mind when others ask me how I decided to study International Relations, specifically women’s affairs. Being a part of this group – or should I say family - helped me see that helping others is the greatest gift in life."
