An unexpected lesson: FIU’s Adam Smith Center changed everything for me

As an international business major, I have attended several study groups at FIU's Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom to better understand global markets through the lens of international relations, policy and trade. Government leaders from around the world come to campus to hold weekly gatherings with interested undergraduates of all majors.

In 2022, as a sophomore, I signed up for a study group instructed by Fawzia Koofi, the former deputy speaker of parliament in Afghanistan. She described in great detail the dramatic changes Afghanistan experienced following the resurgence of the Taliban. The Islamic fundamentalist group was toppled by U.S.-led forces two decades prior but swiftly regained power after the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2021.

As she described the ongoing oppression, I recalled images in the news of desperate Afghans holding onto the wings of military aircraft as U.S. forces departed. I was reminded of the daily suffering experienced by Afghans since that tragic event swept through our news cycle.

Then at one of our meetings, she made an offer that would radically influence the trajectory of my personal, academic, and professional journey: We could teach English online to girls in Afghanistan.

The Taliban has barred females in Afghanistan from attending school in person after sixth grade. This and other rights have been severely curtailed in what has been called a war on women and girls.

Ms. Koofi connected me with two sisters, whom I soon began teaching and continue to meet weekly to this day. After our first session, I thought, Wow, teaching is much harder than I imagined.

My students' contagious desire to learn and their sheer excitement inspired me to actively hone my teaching skills. I felt a sense of responsibility to offer them the same encouragement I have been fortunate enough to receive from my family, community and country.

During one of our sessions, the two students expressed frustration that they have access to an online teacher while many of their former classmates do not. I asked myself, Why can’t we offer this to more Afghans?

Inspired to scale my impact, I recruited FIU students to teach. I founded the Afghan Education Student Outreach Project at FIU (AESOP at FIU) based on work begun by an Afghan refugee and her American teacher, Seth Holm. They created a four-week online English class for 20 Afghan students. We have since established a global network of 100+ teachers, 25 of whom are FIU students. We now offer classes – which include English, math, Latin, drawing, debate and leadership and management – to 700+ girls and women in Afghanistan. Some of them are just learning the ABC’s while others are almost fluent in English. Some were in the middle of college, even studying to become doctors and lawyers, when the Taliban took over.

These young people face enormous challenges, from threats to their safety to limited resources. Yet they persist, driven by a deep commitment to learning and belief in a brighter future. My students recount the Taliban destroying artwork, disappearing family members, disrupting weddings for the crime of playing music and harshly enforcing clothing and travel restrictions. I do my best simply to listen and offer words of encouragement between class activities.

Part of our service is to support them emotionally and give them some sort of aim. That’s what they need. We started the phone buddy program to pair a volunteer with a student every week for a 20-minute phone call. It’s about practicing conversation in English and just talking. There are moments when people open up. Some students are brought to tears when asked how their day was or what the future might hold. We share laughs and everyday stories from our very different daily lives.

Most compelling was the case of an oldest daughter who shared how she became the sole caregiver and provider for her younger siblings when their mother, who worked at a hospital, was falsely accused by a member of the Taliban of causing the death of a newborn during childbirth. The student’s mother as well as her father soon after disappeared without a word. The student handmakes clothing, and she sent us pieces to sell at an art show held earlier this year at the Frost Art Museum on campus. We returned to her and the other artisans all proceeds from a very successful event.

The Adam Smith Center and AESOP at FIU have taught me to use my technology and international business background to address global issues through creative solutions. Both organizations have greatly contributed to my life.

In the song “Son of Man,” Phil Collins famously sings, “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” While I may be the teacher, my students have taught me invaluable lessons as I’ve witnessed the complexities of their country and the strength of their spirits. I am forever grateful to them and will continue scaling my impact not only by recruiting teachers but by telling their stories.