Two Bard Graduates from Afghanistan, Rukhsar Balkhi ’23 and Edris Tajik ’23, Profiled in Times Union

Writing for the Times Union, Maria Silva profiles human rights major Rukhsar Balkhi ’23 and political studies major Edris Tajik ’23, two recent Bard College graduates who are part of a group of 250 student refugees from Afghanistan who received the Qatar Scholarship for Afghans Project to complete their education in the US. Both Balkhi and Tajik hope to make a positive impact on the world and will pursue master’s degrees in international affairs at Columbia University and international relations at the University of Chicago, respectively. Balkhi describes the shock of evacuating Kabul in 2021 and the transition to the US. “You have everything in your life and you have a lot of dreams. And you just suddenly forget everything and come to a country with literally nothing,” she said.

Post Date: 08-22-2023