Concordia Magazine

When Education Means Everything

By Sheldon Green

For most of Zahra Tahir’s life, education has been elusive.

This year, her first year at Concordia, is only her third year of formal schooling. But Zahra is determined to earn a degree in biology as she methodically works toward her goal of becoming a healthcare professional. She will succeed simply because she must.

Zahra ’16 and her two younger brothers, Amirhossein and Mehdi, arrived in Fargo, N.D., in December 2009 as orphaned teenage refugees from war-torn Afghanistan. After overcoming enormous obstacles, the Tahirs now enjoy the precious gift of education. For them, it is everything.

Some years ago, Zahra’s father boarded a bus for Pakistan to look for work. He was never seen again, most likely a victim of war violence. Ten years ago, Zahra’s mother died from a medical condition, leaving Zahra to care for her brothers.

Family friends took them to Iran when they went there looking for work. Zahra earned money weaving Persian rugs and Amirhossein, who goes by Amir, did manual labor.

A refugee program eventually brought the three of them to Turkey. There Amir earned money sewing, and Zahra says people were kind to them, helping as they could. But there was no chance for education unless the Tahirs would split up.

“I said no. We were desperate for education, but we stay together. We’re a family,” Zahra says. She put her faith in God, just as she had when their mother died. God, Zahra prayed, would find a way for them.

Their Turkish friends connected the Tahirs with the United States Embassy, which ultimately led to Lutheran Social Services and fast changes in their lives. In no time they were living in an apartment in Fargo and learning basic English from the mother of their LSS case worker, who happens to be a Cobber. Two weeks later, they were enrolled in Fargo schools. Zahra was then 18 years old; Amir was 16 and Mehdi, 13.

“You never saw more scared, frightened kids,” says Jim Keal, a counselor at Fargo South High School. “Everything was very confusing, very stressful for them. At my first meeting with Zahra, I told her a high school diploma might not be possible.”

 Zahra recalls how incredibly frustrating those early days of school were. “It was so hard, I got a headache every day,” she says. “I was feeling so bad. I didn’t know much English. Everything was so different.”

But Keal saw strength in Zahra’s willingness to work, and together they made a plan. Zahra carried a full load of classes including night and summer school, and in two-and-a-half years she earned the 24 credits necessary to graduate.   

“Can you imagine how difficult that was?” Keal asks. “It was a lot of hard work on her part. Zahra did this while working 20 or more hours a week and keeping her brothers in line because she’s their legal guardian.”

She also completed a Certified Nursing Assistant program so she could earn more money at her nursing home job.

“Zahra is a shining example of what you can accomplish when you set your mind to achieving a goal,” says Keal. “She is very gifted academically. She doesn’t quit. She puts in the work.”

Zahra, a quiet, polite and modest person, credits a network of friends who help her.

Suzy Schmoll provides friendship and helpful advice. One of the first was Suzy Schmoll, whose husband, Dr. Edward Schmoll, is a professor of classical studies at Concordia. Because the Tahirs are still uncomfortable with casual American manners, they insist on calling them Mrs. Suzy and Mr. Eddie.

“I met Zahra, Amir and Mehdi shortly after they arrived here through an Afghani friend in Fargo, and my heart just went out to these kids for how alone they are,” Suzy Schmoll says.

Schmoll provides steady emotional support, gives them rides to school or work, helps improve their English, and always answers an endless string of questions about their new culture.

“They’re such sweet kids. We’ve developed an aunt or big sister kind of relationship,” Schmoll says. “I love them so much. They’re so polite and they appreciate anything you do for them.”

That, too, is how Keal describes the Tahirs in one word: thankful.

“They’re always thankful,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how much or how little you do for them, they always express their gratitude.”

As head of the family, Zahra has attended her brothers’ parent-teacher conferences and makes sure they do their homework. Now that Amir is studying civil engineering at North Dakota State University, Zahra and Amir confer on family decisions and are like parents to Mehdi.

“Zahra is very responsible,” Schmoll says. “She’s wise and mature beyond her years. There’s an interesting dynamic now with Amir in college. He likes to do things right now, while Zahra will think long and hard before making a decision. She’s very precise.”

Zahra chose Concordia because of its high quality science program and the influence of her many Cobber friends. 

She found another helpful friend in senior admissions representative Pete Lien.

“Zahra came here on a group visit with other international students,” recalls Lien. “Right away I saw how meticulous she is about doing everything right, and her background is so inspiring.”

Lien used all the tools available to him to help Zahra enroll. 

“I knew she would take full advantage of all Concordia has to offer,” he says. “She’s the kind of student you wish there were more of.”

Concordia is a reality because Zahra’s high school GPA and high ACT score landed her the top noncompetitive, academic scholarship offered by Concordia. Zahra hopes she can continue to pay for college through a combination of work income, some need-based assistance and a federal loan.

Dr. Amy Watkin taught Zahra’s English Language Learners course. She says Zahra was immediately on par with other first-year students.

“She did well by any standard. I’m not sure anyone would have guessed she was an ELL student,” says Watkin, who submitted Zahra’s final paper for the Inquiry Seminar writing competition, which indicates it was the highest level of work in the class.

“It’s clear that Zahra is driven and motivated in ways most students aren’t,” Watkin says. “She pulled me to a higher level of teaching because I wanted to help her so much.”

Zahra works many hours to support her brothers while pursuing her education.Zahra attributes getting good grades to her burning desire for an education and the secure future it will bring. It’s more difficult for her because her knowledge of English is still growing, but her dictionary is well worn and she reads her assignments at least twice. Education is her job and she works hard at it. Zahra never misses class or a tutoring session, and she makes time every day to read the Quran and pray.

“When you really want something, you work for it and you can do it,” she says. “I get mentally tired because I struggle with the words. I just keep at it. My ‘thank you’ to everyone will come when I reach my goal.”

Zahra’s goal is a long way off. She’s worked part time at a nursing home since high school, but a big source of income vanished when PRACS Institute, where she worked as a phlebotomist, suddenly closed this spring.

But Zahra is motivated. She follows the news from Afghanistan and constantly worries about the children. She believes that if she had stayed there she would either be dead or have children of her own by now, but no education. A devout Muslim, Zahra believes God has a plan for her.

“God has given me this opportunity to get an education so I can help people,” she says. “I feel a responsibility to those people who are still struggling in Afghanistan and hopefully one day I can be a small help to them. If I can help only one child, it will be worth everything. No matter where you are, you can be of service to someone.”  

Photos: Sheldon Green

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