Student Snapshot: Ahmad Jamali

Age: 21

Major: Computer Science

Hometown: Afghanistan

At age seventeen, most American high school students are anticipating their leap from high school to college or at least reveling in their freedom before entering the workforce; but for Ahmad Jamali, education was an afterthought next to the safety and wellbeing of his family. Nearly five years ago, Ahmad, his parents and two younger brothers, migrated to the United States after experiencing an overwhelming progression of violence and oppression by the Taliban in their home country Afghanistan.

“When you grow up in a country where there are hard times and fighting, kids don’t expect a lot; they just go with whatever they can get,” The now 21-year-old AACC student says. “The Taliban didn’t allow any boys or girls go to school; but if you are Muslim, you want freedom for everyone.”

His family first escaped to Russia in 1999 where they struggled to maintain basic necessities. “We had a hard time in Russia,” he says. “Sometimes there were no blankets and no food, but you dealt with it because you wanted a better future. We trusted our parents so whatever they said, we said, ‘Okay, that’s what’s going to happen; our futures’ going to be better.’”

In 2003, they successfully migrated from Russia to Virginia where their lives in the U.S. began. Ahmad enrolled in his first American high school where he knew very little English and immediately took English as a Second Language. “When I moved to Russia, I didn’t know anything,” he says of the language. “I learned Azeri (mix of Russian and Turkish) in a year or two and when I moved here, I said, ‘I’m going to do the same thing. Work hard.’”

And work hard he did. English is now his fourth language behind Dari (his native tongue), Azeri, and Persian. After he graduated from high school, his family moved from Virginia to Millersville, Maryland, where he decided to enroll at Anne Arundel Community College. “It’s cheaper, closer, and you get more attention from teachers,” he says. “The classes are smaller and you can transfer easily.”

He naturally gravitates to computer science. “I really like working with computers,” he says. “I spend most of my time at a computer working with software: Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver.” Proof of his interests can be seen in his recently launched Web site, www.saatiri.com, which translates as “hanging out” or “entertainment” in Dari. “I wanted to do a Web site for the public where I can meet new people from everywhere,” he explains.

His experience thus far at AACC has been “really interesting. I’ve never experienced being in college or school until I moved to the states. Being able to interact with people from everywhere gives you more experience and different views.”

Ahmad plans to graduate from AACC in the summer of 2009 and then pursue his master’s and his PhD. “It’s a simple thing,” he says. “If you want a better future and you don’t want to end up somewhere in the streets, you have to work hard and have a goal. Don’t give up; don’t give up if you fail once or twice. Community colleges are the best places to start; I love it so far, and I’m going to continue my education.”

Ahmad looks forward to the day when he is able to return to Afghanistan but knows being in the U.S. is the best decision right now for education and family. “No matter where you go, your country is your own country; it doesn’t change. My parents wanted their family to be in a better place to educate and I want the same for my family.”

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