“Undaunted”: Edris Tajik ’23 Profiled in the Chronicle of Higher Education
Edris Tajik ’23. Photo by Michael Theis, courtesy the Chronicle of Higher Education
“If you’d met Edris Tajik at Bard College earlier this summer, his life might have seemed like that of a typical college student,” writes the Chronicle of Higher Education. What led Edris Tajik ’23 to this moment of seeming normalcy was far from typical, however. The Chronicle profiles Tajik’s educational career, beginning at Herat University, where his studies were interrupted by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. After fleeing Afghanistan for Germany, Tajik found his way to the United States—and to Bard.
Tajik was a natural fit for Bard, with a background in activism and civic engagement. He’d worked as a program officer for Hope for Education and Leadership in Afghanistan, “where he trained 240 students for Model United Nations, helping them develop their leadership abilities,” writes the Chronicle. “His background was very compelling, with all the civil-society work he’d done,” says Jennifer Murray, dean of international studies. At Bard, Tajik dove into his studies, feeling “a seriousness of purpose” that guided his time in Annandale. “Everything was new to me — the teaching style, the class discussion,” Tajik said. “It was exciting.”
Now, post-Bard, Tajik plans to complete two one-year master’s programs, with the ultimate goal of working in Washington, DC. “Whatever Tajik does, he’ll bring a valuable perspective, not only as a young person who’s already amassed professional experience in his field,” writes the Chronicle, “but also as someone whose life has been shaped—directly and dramatically—by foreign-policy choices and lack of access to education.”
Post Date: 09-05-2023
Tajik was a natural fit for Bard, with a background in activism and civic engagement. He’d worked as a program officer for Hope for Education and Leadership in Afghanistan, “where he trained 240 students for Model United Nations, helping them develop their leadership abilities,” writes the Chronicle. “His background was very compelling, with all the civil-society work he’d done,” says Jennifer Murray, dean of international studies. At Bard, Tajik dove into his studies, feeling “a seriousness of purpose” that guided his time in Annandale. “Everything was new to me — the teaching style, the class discussion,” Tajik said. “It was exciting.”
Now, post-Bard, Tajik plans to complete two one-year master’s programs, with the ultimate goal of working in Washington, DC. “Whatever Tajik does, he’ll bring a valuable perspective, not only as a young person who’s already amassed professional experience in his field,” writes the Chronicle, “but also as someone whose life has been shaped—directly and dramatically—by foreign-policy choices and lack of access to education.”
Post Date: 09-05-2023