Exemplary Youth of 2020 Spotlight: Murwared Sayed
Murwareed Sayed is our spotlighted exemplary youth of 2020.
About the Recognition:
These youth are trailblazers, leaders, and aspiring professionals who have newly immigrated to the united states. No barriers, language or otherwise have stopped these exemplary youth from making honor roll, excelling in leadership and extracurricular opportunities, and working hard toward their career aspirations. At afghan health initiative, we recognize annually, our young generation of leaders through our academic achievement recognition program. This year’s applicants submitted a wonderful essay and winners were recognized and given a prize of Apple AirPods.
About Murwared:
Murwared was born and raised in Afghanistan. She moved to United States about 5 years ago with her family for a better life, quality education and for her family’s safety. Murwared wants to be a Heart Surgeon in the near future. In her free time she spends time with her family and she enjoys reading inspirational books. She is a recent graduate with IB diploma from Kent-Meridian High School. She is planning on attending University of Washington this fall as a Pre-Med. She was ranked 1st in all of her classes from 1st grade until she moved to United States from Afghanistan. Before Moving to United States she was Admitted to Turkish high school which is one of the most competitive schools back in Afghanistan in which students have to pass 3 challenging exams to get admission.
At the very beginning when she moved here, she didn’t like her school as she missed school back home but after a few months she got used to education system here.
When she first arrived to United States, she was still considered English as a second language leaner but she managed to be placed in Honors classes after a year. Starting her freshman year in Kent-Meridian High School she formed a cultural group along with a few other students with the help of Mr. Abdul Ahmade (family Liaison and Students Mentor) in Kent-Meridian high school. She was chosen as the president of Kent-Meridian Afghan Student Association and served as the president until her graduation recently. As the president of Afghan Student Association she run cultural events, did administrative work and helped other refugee and immigrant students. Murwared is also the current assistant director of Afghanistan International Foundation for the Blind where she helps plan, organize and does administrative work to assist the non-profits President.
Murwared is also the current Vice-President of Refugees and Immigrants Youth Advisory Council where she along with other peers to advocate for refugees and immigrants’ rights as well as help Solve problems in her local community. She is also a part of the youth committee council in Council American-Islamic relations (CAIR Washington). Murwared also wants to be a women’s and Children’s right activist.
Murwared experienced lots of hardships and challenges to be where she is right now, she stated she feels that she is living in a judgmental society where everything you do is watched by others and where everyone wants you to do what others are doing choose to do what you want and what brings you closer to your goals and dreams. She says in response, “It’s okay to be different, it’s okay to be judged and it’s okay to be alone but it’s not okay to change yourself for anyone”. Her message to all other Afghan parents that reside here in Washington State is to allow and support their daughters in the direction of their dreams and goals and not to put limitations on them. She states “I had to face a lot of obstacles, bullying, gossips about being a girl and the leadership role that I had. I was told that only a boy could lead a cultural club. Not just that but also losing connection with other Afghan girls because of their mindsets that they were set to. During those times my parents had been there for me, supported me in every way possible to not give up but to be the change I wished to see. They have thought me to be the girl who could be the role model for other girls so one day, they could freely work along with the opposite gender and not have to worry about obstacles/ have an impact on their mindsets” but what has helped me not give up was my parents support.
She states, “Today I am proud to be the former President of Kent-Meridian Afghan Student Association, who completed her journey of leading a cultural club by bringing in four other girls who will be running the KM Afghan Student Association for the year 2021-2022 and words aren’t enough to describe how I feel about that and I have accomplished a goal that I set on my freshman year of high school.”
AHI Sr. Director, Ariana Anjaz (left) presenting certificate of academic achievement award to Murwared Sayed (right).
