FEATURE
Journey of a First Gen Student BY SAYED ARIAN, MS3
M
r. Hashemi was writing a math problem on the chalkboard. The students began scribbling in their notebooks when suddenly the classroom door burst open. Several armed troops walked in and started grabbing students one at a time and dragging them outside. This was the typical situation in war-torn Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war. Teenage boys were drafted into the chaos and had a couple of hours to gather their belongings and report for duty. One of these students was my father. After years of studying and hard work to remain at the top of his class, everything turned upside down. Within weeks of enrollment, he seized the opportunity to escape the war and seek refuge in the United States. With no understanding of English, and literally nothing but the clothes on his back, he decided his only option was to start working and begin making a living. My mother, also a war refugee, was the backbone of the family. With the restrictions on female education in Afghanistan, she also understood its value. My parents met in Queens, NY through a local mosque. That was where they started a family and also where their American Dream was born.
18 Lehigh County Health & Medicine | SUMMER 2022
