Muska Gharwal

Fremont Adult and Continuing Education

Nominated in 2023

My name is Muska Gharwal. I was born in 1987 in Kabul, Afghanistan. I belong to the Pashtun tribe. My native language is Pashtu, and I come from an educated family. My father was an army colonial who served in the human Rights department of the Afghan Military.

Due to political issues in our province Nangrahar Khogyani no girls were allowed to go to school, or to study new things and become civilized or to fulfill their educational needs. That is why I never went to school and did not receive an education privileges . Also, when the government was changed and the new transitional government took over Afghanistan, my father moved us to Kabul, capital of Afghanistan.

After a couple of months in Kabul I got married, my husband was working for the US military, as a human resources coordinator and interpreter. Due to the safety and security problems He shared all these issues with his American seniors; therefore, he was granted a special Visa by the US Embassy for him and his family to come to America.

Finally, we moved from Kabul to Sacramento California. Here I faced a new language and many cultural barriers. I was uneducated, having never gone to school, so I did not know how to speak with people and did not understand the American culture. As difficult as that was it was even more difficult with 3 children to take care of. Learning about a strange culture, with no education, I felt very hopeless.

On the bright side, I was extremely enthusiastic to learn English and different living skills, and my husband always motivated me to learn English and work on my career. I took two-hour English classes, but those hours were not sufficient for me learn English fast enough. When we moved to Concord, California I started learning at Lumavista Adult Education Center. There I learned a lot, memorized a lot of words, and talked with many people representing myself. Then I found myself some helpful ladies working in offices and stores.

When my baby daughter was born, I took a short break from learning English. We moved to Fremont in 2020 when my baby daughter was 4 months old. There I took online classes at Fremont Adult and Continuing Education Center with a very honorable and excellent teacher, Mr. Phillip Roache. He worked with me a lot and I learned a lot of things because of his efforts! I learned much in my citizenship handbook, and I got my citizenship. Now I am proud to be an Afghan American - long live America!

I want to convey many thanks to my honorable teacher, Phillip Roche. When I was nominated for this Award, as best student, I felt so many emotions. I could not control my tears and from the core of my heart I am very thankful to every one of you in Fremont Adult Education who supported me. I also want to thank you so much for your patience in reading my story.