PROFILE
Mina Sherzoy CAI Board Member
CAI Board member Mina Sherzoy has never been one to shy away from a challenge . From empowering Afghan women to pursuing a career in fashion design to raising two daughters as a single parent , she has no shortage of impressive accomplishments .
Growing up in Afghanistan during the late 1960s and 1970s , Mina ’ s family supported her as she pursued her education and her dreams . While she acknowledges it was a “ male-dominated culture ,” it was nothing like what it is today under strict Taliban rule . “ My parents were always for education , development , and personal growth . They always encouraged me to study , to be the best ,” she said .
During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 , Mina was forced to flee at the age of 17 . At the time , her father was an ambassador in Prague . “ It ’ s funny because I used to travel through communist countries and would feel sorry for them because it was so hard to live there ,” she said . “ But I didn ’ t know that one day it would happen to us .” Her family reunited and fled together to the United States , eventually making their way to California .
Soon after arriving , Mina got married , had two daughters , and navigated life in a new country . “ I was young , scared , and had lost everything — all the dreams , hopes , identity . When you become a refugee , the first thing you lose is your identity — who you are .”
Although she had always planned to go to university , the demands of family and work presented tremendous obstacles . “ This is where I lost track of my education . I had to work , I had to raise two kids , and ended up in an unhappy marriage . But still , in the back of my mind , I told myself that one day I will go to university and get that bachelor ’ s degree , no matter what .” Eventually , she did .
Mina enrolled at the University of Phoenix , having to balance work , parenting , and her education all at once . “ I struggled to get that degree !” The experiences she had during those years ended up being some of the most formative of her life , and she wanted to share what she learned with her fellow Afghans .
She finally got the opportunity to go back to Afghanistan after 9 / 11 and the U . S . invasion , when there was a wave of positive social change , especially for girls and women . Mina was determined to go back to her home country and be part of it . “ When I went back to Afghanistan , I reconnected with people who had remained during war . I told them what I had gone through and I was encouraging their kids not to miss all the opportunities that the international community had brought in — the scholarships , the free education . Everybody wanted to get educated , but they needed to know where to go and what to do . All they needed was guidance . You train them , you equip them , and then let them fly like a bird . And this is how I came to work back in Afghanistan .”
While in Afghanistan , Mina founded the Afghan Women Business Association and Afghan Women Business Federation . She also worked with USAID to launch Afghanistan ’ s first female private-sector business federation and participated as an observer in the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission .
In 2004 , Mina met a young woman who had come to Kabul from the provinces and wanted to be a doctor . Mina was able to connect the woman with a scholarship to study medicine in Romania , but her family wouldn ’ t allow her to go . Curious as to their reasoning , Mina went to meet with the woman ' s father and her brother , who was , himself ,
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