THE VOICES OF CHANGE

Students in the Afghan Students Initiative say that joining the group has exposed them to a variety of new viewpoints on the issues that they care about most.

“We have students from so many different backgrounds looking at [their] country from different perspectives,” Jalalzada says. “I think everyone who has an opinion is valuable.”

In order to more effectively foster dialogue and debate, the Afghan Students Initiative has hosted guest speakers at all of its meetings. These lectures included discussions of current research on Afghan affairs by Carr Center fellows such as David Mansfield, Michael Semple, and Paul D. Fishstein.

More recently, however, the group has welcomed Afghan scholars. One of the most notable speakers to address the group was Ahmad Nader Nadery, a commissioner in the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.

“Our goal is to engage in dialogues with [the speakers] to make them sure of what Afghan thinking really is,” says Shajjan, emphasizing the mutual exchange of ideas between the students and their guests.

Arthur N. Pont, another fellow involved with the State Building and Human Rights program who spoke at a meeting, says that he enjoyed his conversations on current events with the Afghan students.

“Speaking with the students provides for a much richer and more grounded debate about the issues in Afghanistan,” Pont says. “[The students] have definitely been a benefit to those fellows that have met with them.”

A PROMISING FUTURE

Many members of the Afghan Students Initiative mention plans to return to Afghanistan after their stints in American universities.

Shajjan says he expects to go back home this coming June after he graduates from the Law School, with the hope of finding a job in the Afghan government where he can champion human rights issues.

Though Jalalzada says she is unsure when she will return to Afghanistan, she has focused her studies on economic development and says she is also “very interested” in issues affecting Afghan women.

“My ultimate goal is to create an institution where women would come and learn skills that would earn and generate income for them,” Jalalzada says.

While she has long been passionate about women’s issues in the county, Jalalzada says that being involved with the Afghan Students Initiative has refined her aspirations.

The group has exposed her to different ways of thinking, she says, giving her new ideas on how to accomplish her goals.