In April 2018, I moved to the United States from Afghanistan. At the time, I did not fully understand what this work would come to mean to me, how deeply it would root itself in my life, or how profoundly the people I have had the privilege of knowing would shape who I am.
Eight years later, I am still here. And moments like last weekend remind me exactly why.
Last weekend, families, friends, volunteers, and community members gathered to celebrate something extraordinary. Six of our former clients, our neighbors, and our friends walked across graduation stages and received college degrees.
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Master of Business Administration.
Six individuals. Six journeys. Six stories the world needs to hear.
Where the Journey Began
For many of these graduates, the road to a diploma did not begin in a classroom. It began in displacement, in refugee camps, in countries marked by conflict and uncertainty, where the question was not which university to attend, but whether survival itself was possible.
Education, especially higher education, was not guaranteed. For many, it was not even visible on the horizon.
They arrived here carrying what they could: their families, their faith, their determination, and very little else. A new country. A new language. A new everything.
And yet, here they stood.
As an immigrant myself, I remain in awe of this kind of resilience. There is something almost incomprehensible about arriving in a foreign place, navigating systems never designed with you in mind, rebuilding life from the ground up, and then, in the middle of all of that, choosing to pursue a degree.
Choosing to invest in a future that is far from guaranteed.
That is not just ambition. It is a particular kind of courage that deserves to be named.
The People Who Showed Up
But accomplishments like these never happen alone.
Behind each graduate stood a village, sometimes literally. Families who sacrificed quietly every day. Spouses who carried more than their share. Parents who may not have understood every assignment or exam, but understood deeply that their child was building something important.
And beyond family stood community.
Volunteers, mentors, tutors, teachers, and neighbors showed up in ways both large and small. Someone drove a student to an appointment. Someone sat across a kitchen table helping make sense of enrollment paperwork. Someone offered friendship when everything else felt unfamiliar.
That is what community does at its best.
It does not rescue.
It accompanies.
It does not solve every problem. It stands beside people long enough for new possibilities to emerge.
And in doing so, it changes what becomes possible.
A Table Late Into the Evening
I had the honor of attending several graduation celebrations. At one gathering, two graduates from the same family were being celebrated in a modest living room filled with relatives, friends, and community members. The evening stretched warmly late into the night, the kind of gathering where no one is in a hurry to leave.
At some point, the graduates were asked to share words of wisdom.
What followed was one of the most moving moments I have witnessed in eight years of this work.
One by one, people around the room began offering something back: encouragement, memories, blessings, gratitude. Family members spoke. Friends spoke. Community members spoke.
Without anyone planning it, the room became its own kind of ceremony.
That living room felt, to me, like the truest picture of what refugee resettlement is meant to be at its best. Not a transaction. Not simply a program.
A community forming around people, and people rising within a community.
A One Hundred Percent Graduation Rate
This year, every single one of Canopy’s high school seniors graduated.
One hundred percent.
That number deserves a moment of pause because it does not happen by accident.
It is the result of years of consistent investment. Families who prioritized education even when life made that incredibly difficult. Tutors and mentors who showed up week after week. Teachers who believed in students. Young people who chose, again and again, to keep going.
This milestone builds on a track record of educational success our community has worked hard to cultivate, and it reminds us of something important:
When new neighbors are given genuine support and genuine belonging, they do not simply survive.
They excel.
The Work Continues
People often tell me how fulfilling this work must be.
And it is.
Not in a simple or romanticized way, but in the way hard and meaningful things are fulfilling.
Last weekend gave me six new reasons to remember that.
To our graduates: what you have accomplished is remarkable. You carried the weight of your journeys and still kept reaching forward. Your families are proud of you. Your community is proud of you.
We are all proud of you.
Be Part of the Story
If you are looking for a meaningful way to engage, we would love to hear from you.
Whether through volunteering, mentoring, or supporting Canopy financially, your involvement directly shapes stories like these. It is reflected in every diploma earned, every stage crossed, and every family that finds stability, belonging, and the opportunity to flourish.
The accomplishments of our new neighbors enrich all of our communities.
And none of it happens without people who choose to show up.
If that is you, there is a place for you in this work. Click here to reach out.
Congratulations and Well Done. I no longer live in Fayetteville and I believe it is important to continue to support Canapy. More now than previous decades.