At a university where global citizenship is a value and a priority, Rabia Zahir ’09 feels right at home – and she’s had quite a few. The daughter of an Afghani ambassador, Zahir spent her childhood migrating from one country to another – India, Kuwait, Italy and Pakistan – before making her way back to Afghanistan in 2003. Constantly forced to learn new languages and make new friends (skills she appreciates more now than when she was a child), she credits her father for bringing the family along because it taught her how to survive in challenging environments. “Now, wherever you put me, I think it’s very easy for me to adjust myself or find ways to blend in,” Zahir says.
ABOUT MOVING: It was difficult at times, Zahir says, but always an adventure. “We took our culture with us wherever we went. But we also took a little bit from each country we went to, too. In Italy, we celebrated Christmas with Afghani food! My whole life, it’s been a mingling of cultures.”
MAKING HER OWN WAY: A psychology major, Zahir has always had a bit of a rebellious streak in her. “My parents wanted me to go to medical school, but I deviated.” Zahir remembers slacking off in her pre-med classes in Pakistan: “I would go to the library to study and open books about philosophy and psychology and read them instead. They wouldn’t let us borrow books, and the photocopy machine didn’t work, so I would sit down and copy chapter after chapter. I still keep those notebooks with me today.”
HER ART: When she’s not studying, Zahir unwinds by playing her guitar or painting. “I’ve been into the arts since I was a kid.” Theater, music and painting top her list of interests. “It’s very personal stuff. I play around with the idea of women’s suppression in Afghanistan, kind of mocking the perception of the gender roles and how uncomfortable I am with them.”
AFTER GRADUATION: While she says she never wants to leave RWU, Zahir is looking to the future and plans to pursue graduate degrees in psychology so that she can return to Afghanistan and help children and women who desperately need someone to talk to: “It will be challenging, because psychology and psychotherapy aren’t really recognized in Afghanistan. But I’ve seen it growing, and there’s so much need for therapy, so that’s what I’m going to do.”