Dr. Sakena Yacoobi

Prior to going to the event, I did not know what to expect… but I was glad I went. While the president of our school was introducing Dr. Yacoobi, I found it interesting to learn that NDNU was the first college to offer baccalaureate to women. From Dr. Yacoobi’s sharing, I commend her for going back to Afghan despite people criticizing her. I respect that she went out of her comfort zone because she did not want her family back home to be suffering while she lived a more pleasant life (in Michigan). She advocates that women should read and write because that is their right, but women need more than that. She also mentions how women need to work side by side with men. I agree with this because the problem is not only women, men as well. The men are mostly the ones who beat and/or violate woman. When we work with the men and change the current corrupt mentality of the people than progress can be made. I found it astonishing how 55,000 young men and women are drug addicts or alcoholics due to no jobs. What I liked about her talk was that she went beyond just the topic of women and education, but touched-based on how people were living and their thinking. She pointed out the problem isn’t only in Afghan, it is everywhere. She wants to bring democracy by teaching judgment, equality, and honesty. We (the United States and the more privilege places) have to share the principles of democracy. I found inspiring that she believes that believing in a higher being (did not necessarily have to be God) to take care of your life; she said that when people asked if she was scared she would respond that God and her belief would protect her. What drew me to Dr. Yacoobi was that she taught more than just education, she “taught” life by the way she lived her own life. She taught women and people to read and write, but most importantly to be a good human being and citizen. My favorite words she said and that spoke to me was something like “don’t let a tough life, poverty, or disability make you weaker; through faith, persistence, friendship, and wisdom you can overcome anything.”