Overview
The Afghanistan Policy Lab together with SPIA’s Diversity and Inclusion Program is hosting an event that highlights the role of the Afghan Education Student Outreach Project (AESOP) that centers the voices of Afghan women and girls currently living under Taliban rule. The event will offer an on-the-ground perspective on life inside Afghanistan today, with particular focus on the systematic exclusion of women from education, public life, and opportunity, and the ways grassroots education initiatives are responding. The event will combine short talks, moderated discussion, and live (or pre-recorded) participation from AESOP students inside Afghanistan, prioritizing safety, anonymity, and dignity, along with the impact of AESOP is making in equipping women and girls with education and skills.
AESOP has successfully hosted similar events at Princeton University, Georgetown University, and other institutions, engaging students, faculty, and community members in informed, human-centered dialogue about Afghanistan beyond the headlines.
Purpose and Goals
The event has three primary goals:
- Education and Awareness
To provide accurate, first-hand insight into the lived experiences of Afghan women and girls under Taliban governance, particularly the impact of the ban on girls’ secondary and higher education.
- Student-Centered Storytelling
To foreground Afghan voices—especially students currently learning online from inside Afghanistan—in a way that respects their safety while affirming their agency, intelligence, and leadership.
- Outreach and Engagement
To introduce the Princeton community to AESOP’s model of student-led, volunteer-driven education, and to invite thoughtful engagement with ethical, academic, and humanitarian responses to gender apartheid.
- Community Impact
To reflect on the achievements and impact of the Princeton community on educating women and girls living thousand of miles away in Afghanistan under the suppressive Taliban rule.
Speakers
with minors in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Besides academics, she is involved in the Afghanistan Policy Lab under the SPIA department, the Liechtenstein Institute for Self-Determination, and Princeton Club Taekwondo. I am excited to be part of WCC this year and contribute to bringing the Whitman community closer together. Go Whales!
is a sophomore from Bermuda studying Public and International Affairs on the pre-law track. Her background combines legal assistance, policy analysis, nonprofit development, and global engagement as a youth diplomat. She currently serves as Secretary for the Class of 2028 Council and participates in the Liechtenstein Institute’s Global Diplomatic and Security Challenges Seminar as well as the School for Moral Ambition’s Princeton Policy Chapter. With interest in immigration and asylum law and equal education access, Olivia aids asylum seekers with asylum applications and teaches English to Afghan women. She aspires to become a global humanitarian, international conflict lawyer, and diplomat.
is a third-year PhD student in International Education at NYU Steinhardt. His research explores refugee integration in the U.S., focusing on language proficiency, family dynamics, and access to education and employment.
Alongside his PhD studies, Jawed collaborates with a research team at NYU, exploring the potential of educational technology to expand access to quality education in conflict-affected areas.
Before joining the International Education program, Jawed spent a decade working in the education and development sectors. As a Senior Education Research Specialist with USAID's Afghan Children Read (ACR) project, he conducted qualitative research on parental involvement in early literacy development and the learning experiences of language-minority children in Afghanistan.
He also served as a Research Officer with NYU's Assessment of Learning Outcome and Social Effects of Community-Based Education (ALSE) project, where he monitored large-scale survey data collection, conducted qualitative interviews, and assessed the Ministry of Education’s capacity to assume control of community-based
Sponsorship of an event does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.