I grew up in Afghanistan and planned my whole future there. I never thought I would leave my country. Then the Taliban returned, and life changed overnight. Many Afghan girls saw their dreams collapse. Mine did, too.
When I arrived in Australia at 21, I had to start again from zero.
At first, I followed a lot of advice about the education system. People were kind, but the advice was narrow. I took longer, harder paths and missed easier opportunities to enter university. What others believed was possible for me was smaller than what was truly available.
To support my family, I worked factory shifts to help cover the gap between our daily needs and the support we received from Centrelink. It was tough, physical work. I studied on buses, between shifts, and late at night. I often had to choose rent over textbooks. The dream stretched, but it did not break.
A turning point was the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC). Through their leadership program, I learned my rights, how to ask for what I need, and how to serve my community with confidence as a refugee. I stopped waiting for permission and started building my own path.
Re-starting my career to fill an urgent gap
My interest in psychology began in Year 8. In my community, people often believed psychology was only for people with a serious illness or experiences of deep trauma. I saw it differently. Psychology is about connection, understanding, and listening. Before the Taliban’s return, I studied psychology at a university in Afghanistan for two years. After coming to Melbourne, I picked up that disrupted dream.
In Australia, I tried to find an Afghan psychologist for myself and my family. I could not. I realised firsthand how hard it is to share your deepest feelings with someone who may not understand your language, culture, or history. A scarf, silence, or family duty can carry deep meaning. But without someone to talk to who can truly understand this meaning and its cultural context, people can feel lost, alone, inferior, or less than. This gap in psychologists with lived experience of refugee journeys or Afghan culture will hinder our community if we don’t address it quickly.
This is why I am studying to fill this gap. My goal is to become a psychologist who provides accessible care to all Australians, from varied cultures and languages, drawing on my community work and my understanding of Afghan culture to deliver tailored care.
Centring my mother in bringing my dreams to life
My mother is the heart of my motivation. She taught for about 18 years in Afghanistan and raised six children. In Australia, her limited English, digital, and driving capabilities mean she must rely on us more than she would like. She feels pressure and sometimes guilt, even though she has given us everything.
I see how many refugee women carry heavy, invisible work—translating, filling forms, managing appointments—and the emotional burden of starting over. I want my work in psychology to support women like my mother, to reduce these unfair pressures, and to offer real emotional and mental health care.
Looking ahead to boundless opportunity
Today, my life is stable and full of hope. I am studying a Bachelor of Psychological Science at Deakin University. HECS helps me focus on learning without the fear of paying everything up front. I have received a Deakin scholarship. I work part-time at Direct Chemist Outlet. I also coordinate the Melbourne team for the Afghanistan Development Academy, a UK-based organisation that offers online education and mental health support for women and girls in Afghanistan. All of this connects to my core goal of improving marginalised people’s access to equal opportunity in Australia.
I am deeply grateful to the Australian Government, the ASRC, and the wider community. Refugees are not a monolithic category. We are individuals with ambitions, humour, and skills. We might wear a scarf or speak with an accent, but we want what everyone wants: safety, dignity, and the opportunity to contribute.
I started from zero in a new country, but my direction is clear now. I am rebuilding my dream here so that the next young woman does not spend years waiting outside the wrong door. Instead, someone like me will already be there to welcome her in.