“I need this”: Afghan Student Jalil Sadat Settles Safely at Bard after Terrifying Journey from Kabul

Jalil Sadat escaped Kabul during the Taliban takeover and has settled safely at Bard College after a long and arduous trip from Afghanistan. “A month ago I had never imagined living somewhere else besides Kabul,” he told a reporter from NBC News. His life changed in a matter of hours as he watched Kabul fall, and his family scrambled to find help. His brother had worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan for years, and Jalil was a student at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). He and his family knew these connections to the U.S. put them in danger. Jalil managed to escape by convincing a U.S. Marine at the chaotic Kabul airport that his life was at risk, but he had to leave his family behind.

Jalil boarded a plane for the first time in his life and left the country. Sleeping on the ground in refugee camps, he made the trek from Afghanistan to Qatar, then Germany, and finally to the United States. When he arrived in Washington, D.C. he reached out to a Bard professor with whom he'd taken online classes as an AUAF student, and asked for help. “Seeing how people are willing to help—it's amazing,” Jalil says. He thinks about his family back in Kabul every moment of the day, and stays in close touch with them. “There is all that feeling of guilt at times ... because of the fact that I'm safe, I'm here, and my family is not.”

In August, Bard pledged to help Afghan students find safe havens to continue their studies at Bard. The College has committed to take in as many as 100 students at its campuses in Annandale, Berlin, and Simon’s Rock. The Open Society University Network (OSUN) has helped nearly 200 Afghan students depart Afghanistan and reach OSUN campuses, most of whom are attending the American University of Central Asia, Bard’s longtime dual-degree partner. More students are expected to arrive at Bard and on other OSUN campuses in the coming weeks.

Last week Bard signed an agreement with the American University of Afghanistan, an OSUN partner, to develop dual-degree programs for Afghan students in collaboration with OSUN, facilitate student and faculty exchanges, and further support AUAF students who continue to arrive in the US. “The AUAF community is proud to undertake this powerful affiliation with Bard College, and we are grateful to Bard and OSUN for stepping forward with immediate, meaningful aid to the young women and men of Afghanistan who deserve to pursue their studies without fear,” said AUAF President Ian Bickford.

Bard is offering full-tuition scholarships to up to 100 Afghan students. Learn more about the program for refugee students and scholars here.

Post Date: 10-11-2021