They Lost Their Home—But Not Their Connection To It

Events like International Fest (iFest) are often remembered for their color and energy. Students move from one table to another, trying food, listening to music, and sharing a dozen cultures with one another in a single afternoon. For some, it’s a chance to explore. For others, it's a more personal experience.

At the University of New Haven, the Afghan cultural table stood as a reflection of that deeper meaning.

Designed and led by Mahshid alongside Mastura Kaihani and Ahmad Masoom Naimi, the table was created with delibrate intention. Every element had a purpose. They wore traditional Afghan clothes, brought food and fruit selections that reflected what they grew up with. These thing felt familiar before everything changed.

For students connected to Afghanistan, sharing culture in this way comes with a complicated weight.

Our students left home after the Taliban returned to power, which disrupted their education, limited their opportunities, and forced them to make difficult decisions about the future. What they brought with them wasn’t just memory—it was an identity, shaped by a place they can’t easily return to. Recreating pieces of that identity in a new environment takes courage.

Visitors to the Afghan table weren’t just looking at fabrics or tasting food. They were sharing something that had been built with an effort to represent a culture in a way that felt accurate and grounded.

Our students' roles in this reflects the kind of leadership they've been building across campus. Organizing something like this requires a clear sense of what you want people to understand and how to communicate that through experience.

As an act of preservation, it’s a way of staying connected while continuing to move forward.

By the end of the event, the table had done what it set out to do. Creating space for culture to be seen, for stories to be acknowledged, and for a community to feel a little more understood.

None of this would have been possible without the generosity of donors like you.

Your support gives them the chance to step back into a classroom and onward into their future.

If you want to help more students reclaim their education and chase their dreams, please consider donating today.

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