‘I believe in the cause of Afghanistan’
Alumnae News
Published March 16, 2017
As a young woman attending Afghanistan’s Kabul University, Shaharzad Akbar ’09 wasn’t the happiest of students.
“There wasn’t much space for discussion and debate, particularly as a young female student,” she says. When a university lecturer, whose daughter had graduated from Smith, recommended the college to Akbar, she jumped at the opportunity to transfer to a school where she could explore her ideas in a more welcoming environment. Today she is a country director for Open Society Afghanistan (a branch of Open Society Foundations), which seeks to create more vibrant and tolerant societies.
The culture shock was real. “When I arrived at Smith, I saw young people around me who were stressed about schoolwork, relationships and finances. In Afghanistan, women of my age are often worried about getting married to someone they don’t know, moving to a new household and raising kids. Being at Smith made me think about a lot of new things, including what it means to be a Muslim woman. Is there any possibility of a conversation between Islam and feminism?”
Smith’s writing course for international students transformed her. “English is my second language, and writing was challenging for me. The writing course helped me gain confidence and say, ‘I know I have the ideas, so how do I articulate them in a style that is accepted and appreciated here?’”
“We want to mobilize people around values like democracy, freedom of expression and gender equality.”
She pressured herself to excel. “There are so many negative ideas about Afghanistan, so I always felt that I must be on my best behavior. I should have the best grades. Whenever I had the opportunity to represent Afghanistan in a new way, I took it. I felt I wasn’t only an individual student, I was representing a country.”
After becoming the first Afghan woman to study at the graduate level at Oxford University, she became a founder of Afghanistan 1400. “This group is dedicated to changing the way that politics is done in Afghanistan. Right now, people mobilize around ethnicity or religion, but this has led to fragmentation. It’s allowed for a culture of impunity and corruption. We want to mobilize people around values like democracy, freedom of expression and gender equality. We believe these values will help us build a better Afghanistan, where everyone feels safe and is treated with respect.”
With Open Society Afghanistan, she is finding ways to move big ideas about democracy forward. “We work with civil service organizations to hold the government accountable, and we support the media so they can do investigative journalism. We are always seeking to create a more open society.”
She has dreams for her country. “Many people have given up on the cause of a democratic future. But I believe in the cause of Afghanistan, and I want to be part of that journey. I want to change the destiny of Afghanistan. Is that overly optimistic? Maybe. But I will continue to stand up for the values I believe in—in whatever capacity I can.”
This story appears in the Spring 2017 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.
SEIZING THEIR MOMENT
Young alumnae, revved up at Smith, set their soaring ambitions into action
The women profiled here brought their dreams to Smith at a time when the college was laying the groundwork for its own dreams. While they were students here—taking courses that would expand their horizons—Smith was setting a course for a more global future, captured in the campaign theme Women for the World. For the women whose voices are presented here, Smith was the right choice at the right time. Brimming with optimism, idealism and boundless energy, they didn’t just dream of changing the world, they planned to go out and actually do it. These young alumnae, whose ambitions were nurtured at Smith, are breaking glass ceilings, transforming education, researching climate change and helping to build more democratic societies around the world.
They may be at the start of their careers, but already their work is rippling out into the world in powerful ways. Their achievements are what Smith’s work is all about.
‘Something Changed in Me’
Elim Chan ’09, Music Major
“I will always talk to young girls about having big dreams, whether that’s conduction or going to the moon."
‘We Need To Create the Right Opportunities’
Amber Scott ’07, Neuroscience Major
"I knew that this was what I wanted to do: to find solutions to tough social issues.”
Critical Research Support in Polar Reaches
Marie McLane ’08, Geological Sciences Major
“You don't want to be 300 miles from town and have your snowmobile break down. I help researchers with these things."
‘I Want To Stop Big Problems Before They Happen’
Aubrey Menarndt ’08, Government Major
“Countries that are wealthy in natural resources have major corruption issues. But if resources weren’t mismanaged, they could lift people out of poverty.”
Photographed in Kabul, Afghanistan, by Kiana Hayeri/Verbatim