Ahead of celebration, Midyear Completion speakers reflect on resilience and renewal

Suhaila Hashimi: From Kabul to College Hill, continuing her education against the odds

Suhaila Hashimi assumed her mom was exaggerating when she shared stories about life in Afghanistan under Taliban control in the 1990s.

"We thought she was making things up, maybe because she wanted to scare us into not going out so much," said Hashimi, who grew up in Kabul with her seven older siblings. "But once we saw it with our own eyes, we were like, 'We're so sorry, mom. You were right, and it's very scary.'"

Hashimi is one of 15 young students - most of whom had studied together at the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh - who were admitted to Brown University in 2021, when the Taliban regained control of Kabul.

At Saturday's Midyear Completion Celebration, the senior will share the story of continuing her education amid displacement, uncertainty and grief in remarks urging her peers to persevere.

"For the first two years here, it was like I was running, but I didn't know where I was going," said Hashimi, who will earn a dual degree in business economics and data science. "I kept myself so busy because I wanted to skip away from everything. I couldn't even talk; when I wanted to start speaking, I would just burst into tears."

With more time on campus, Hashimi found her voice.

"These have been the best years of my life, and Brown really is my home away from home," she said. "In such a short period of time, I learned so much, I grew up, and I'm more responsible. I am the youngest of the family, and I was always the one getting help, but now I'm the one who is helping others."

At Brown, Hashimi explored her interests, questioned preconceived notions and designed her education on her own terms, she said, embracing the intellectual independence afforded by Brown's Open Curriculum.

"I changed my concentrations so many times," she said with a laugh.

Initially, Hashimi studied philosophy. Throughout her childhood, Hashimi and her family would sit around the dinner table drinking tea, sharing meals and discussing politics and philosophy. She had dreams of becoming involved in government and having a hand in shaping Kabul's identity and policies. At Brown, she thought she would pick up where she left off, but she realized it wasn't the ideal fit, she said. She then studied computer science and public health before settling, happily, in business economics and data science.