LOUISVILLE, Ky. — "Brave" and "resilient" are two words Newcomer Academy educators use to describe their student Shamsia Mirzaye, a 21-year-old Afghan refugee who will graduate soon.
“I'm very happy,” Mirzaye said. “I am proud of myself.”
There's a lot she has sacrificed to reach this milestone.
“We leave my village at night,” Mirzaye said. “We leave my village with my father, my sister, my family; we leave, and we take the visa to Pakistan. We come to Pakistan. I [lived] in Pakistan around two years because I was waiting for [my American visa].”
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, women have lost many rights after decades of progress, which is why Mirzaye left.
“The Taliban say, ‘Girls just stay at home. [Do not] go to school or university. Just stay at home,’” Mirzaye said.
Mirzaye was about 15 years old when she stopped attending school. She moved to Louisville at 20 and was able to enroll at Newcomer Academy through its "Accelerate to Graduate" program.
“It's a program for students who are a little bit older and are trying to accelerate their credits, either because maybe they didn't have access or maybe their transcripts aren’t going through," said Gwen Snow, Newcomer Academy principal. "But we're trying to help them accelerate so that they can continue on their pathway toward college and career, and they're also multilingual learners and just new to the United States."
Mirzaye thrives in Louisville, all on her own. She juggles a restaurant job to pay her bills and saved up for a car while working hard at school.
“If she doesn't understand something, she always asks. If she turns in work and it's not to her satisfaction, she always wants to work and correct it, and she's just an excellent student.”“She advocates for herself,” said Dianna Ford, Mirzaye’s English Language Arts teacher. “If she doesn't understand something, she always asks. If she turns in work and it's not to her satisfaction, she always wants to work and correct it, and she's just an excellent student.”
The sacrifices Mirzaye has made are all to achieve her years-long dream of being a pharmacy technician.
“I'm safe here, and I'm very happy here,” Mirzaye said. “I can study and go to school and university and work. I am very, very happy.”
With Mirzaye's opportunities, she intends to study beyond what’s required to be a certified pharmacy technician.
She will graduate May 24 alongside more than 50 other Newcomer Academy seniors. After graduation, she plans to take some time to practice English before working toward becoming certified.
