Connecting worlds: Annandale High School club unites and supports refugee students

For nearly three years, a student-led club at Annandale High School has provided emotional and academic support to dozens of teenage Afghan refugees and other immigrant students who have settled in Fairfax County.

Recent Annandale High School graduates and Afghan natives Sosan Barakzai and Husna Basiri founded the Dunya Club in September 2021 to help their peers who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in Kabul adapt to their new surroundings and find a new community.

Since its founding, the club – whose name means “this world” in Arabic – has helped dozens of Afghan refugees and made connections with other immigrant and refugee groups from Eastern Europe to Central America and Southeast Asia, Meredith Hedrick, head of English for Speakers of Other Languages ​​at Annandale High School, told FFXnow.

“It’s really cool to look at this three years from now,” Hedrick said. “We didn’t know what was going to happen, and I’m really glad it worked out. I saw the club as a way to acclimate kids to the U.S. education system, then give them a sense of belonging and ultimately create a cultural connection.”

Finding inspiration through empathy

Before founding Dunya, Barakzai and Basiri were strangers to each other. Barakzai had settled in the United States in 2017 and attended Fairfax County public schools for several years. Basiri arrived from Afghanistan in early 2020, just as the pandemic began to spread in the United States.

The two girls knew each other and took some classes together, but their contact with her was limited until the beginning of their sophomore year, as thousands of refugees fled Afghanistan and settled, some in Northern Virginia.

“It was really shocking for me to see how everything changed in a few days and how the families were evacuated and came to other countries, especially the United States,” Basiri told FFXnow. “It’s not a nice memory for me. I just remember how (the Taliban) … closed the schools and … everyone tried to save their families and just left the country. It was really hard.”

Both Barakzai and Basiri had friends and family affected by the situation in Afghanistan. Barakzai says her uncles, grandmother and cousins ​​were forced to flee because of their ties to the previous American-installed government. Although none of Basiri’s immediate family left the country, her family provided shelter to several friends who did.

“If they stayed there, their lives could be in danger,” Barakzai said. “So that was a very strong incentive for them to leave everything behind. Everything they had worked for so many years to come (to the United States).”

Barakzai praised U.S. authorities and resettlement organizations for their role in coordinating the resettlement of Afghan refugees across the country. According to the Migration Policy Institute, about 76,000 Afghan refugees arrived in the United States in 2021.

Many of these refugees settled in Virginia, particularly in Northern Virginia. While there is no exact estimate of how many Afghan refugees remain there, federal authorities initially projected that over 10,000 refugees would be resettled in the state in 2022.

FCPS could not provide an exact number of how many Afghan refugees are currently studying, but according to its communications office, an estimated 265 refugees were enrolled between August and December 2021.

During the first months of resettlement, most refugees in the United States lived temporarily on military bases, including the Quantico Naval Base in Prince William County.

During this time, Barakzai says, her uncle spent a lot of time translating, connecting with counselors and finding sponsors for refugees. His dedication inspired her to help her peers in a similar way.

“My uncle is always there to help them, and through him … I got to know the perspective (of the refugees), especially from my family’s perspective and through my uncle’s stories, which were about how each of them had to go through great hardship in one way or another,” she said.

A diverse community comes together

Although Barakzai and Basiri were not refugees, they understand the challenges that come with arriving in a new country and navigating unfamiliar systems and norms. Seeing in these students a reflection of their younger selves, they wanted to spare them the same emotional distress they experienced when they immigrated.

“That’s why we created the Dunya Club, where we can bring together all the students who have had the same experiences, who have gone through the same hardships, so that they feel that there are many of them here and they are not alone,” said Barakzai. “It’s a very important feeling not to be alone.”

In addition to providing a safe space for students to share experiences, the club also served as an academic support center, helping refugees whose second language was English complete their assignments and communicate effectively with teachers.

“We attend their advisor meetings, talk to their advisors and translate for them so they can create a good schedule based on their interests,” Basiri said. “We have even discussed options like a standard diploma, an Advanced (Studies) Diploma or an (International Baccalaureate Diploma program) with them so they know that the school offers opportunities to gain knowledge and improve their understanding.”

Barakzai and Basiri also took the lead in creating presentations for faculty and staff to raise awareness of cultural differences among students, such as the dynamics of co-ed classes and dietary restrictions.

“The school system in Afghanistan is very different from here. Girls go to one school, boys go to another school, and now that they come here, they have to share a classroom with the opposite sex,” Barakzai said. “So we suggested just adjusting the seating arrangement… and being patient with them, especially the language barrier was a big problem.”

Hedrick says the club received $1,500 from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia to fund field trips, class parties and college visits. She also noted that virtually every Afghan refugee student who transferred to Annandale High in 2021 has graduated.

Most of them have or are pursuing post-secondary education, including Barakzai and Basiri, who plan to attend George Washington University this fall.

“I think it really shows Annandale High School’s commitment to educating all learners,” she said.

After leading the club for their first year, Barakzai and Basiri deliberately stepped down in their third year to foster new leadership and ensure the club would continue after they graduated. Last spring, the club elected a board of five students to lead the club starting next year.

Barakzai says since its inception, the club has grown from six students to 30 members from a variety of backgrounds, including students from Pakistan, India and Central America. She and Basiri plan to stay in touch and continue offering advice after the students begin their studies.

Looking to the future, they hope that the club will continue to support students in need.

“The opportunity to get help from peers is always available to students, including any future students who come to school or need help with anything,” Barakzai said.