Hadia graduated from the Pathways Program in Ottawa, Class of 2025. She is currently studying Biomedical Sciences at the University of Ottawa and works as a program assistant at the exact Pathways location.
Hadia had been preparing for her Grade 10 finals in Kabul when everything changed. “My mom told me that the Taliban had taken over the city, and we were told not to leave the house. Women and young girls were denied the right to education and freedom, while men were able to continue their lives as normal. At that moment, I knew that was the end of girls’ education in Afghanistan,” Hadia explained. On the other hand, her twin brother was able to attend school and complete his exams without any obstacles.
For weeks, Hadia stayed in her room, feeling devastated. But her father, who had always valued education, stepped in. “He told me that he understood how important education is for me and wants all his children to be educated. He also said, “I will not let your brother study without you. You are both equals to me, and I will find any way to help you reach your goal.’” Soon after, Hadia and her family left Afghanistan, spending a year in refugee camps in Abu Dhabi before arriving in Ottawa, Canada.
Starting over in a new country and education system wasn’t easy at first. “I didn’t know where I belonged. I questioned myself a lot. I worried if people saw me as less because of my accent or where I came from.” But joining Pathways changed that. What she expected to be a program that provided tutoring and snacks quickly became something much more.
Hadia connected with a Pathways support worker, Rosanna, from Kurdistan, who guided her through the challenges of adjusting to life in a new country. “Rosanna was amazing. She always told me, ‘I am an immigrant, too. Don’t feel bad that you’re starting at this point. I was in your shoes once.’ And that reassured me that it doesn’t matter where I come from. Pathways is where I can grow and be the best version of myself.”
Rosanna helped Hadia start planning her future. Inspired by her parents—her father a surgeon and her mother a dentist—and her grandfather’s battle with cancer, she decided she wanted to become a physician. “Together, we researched medical programs and explored volunteer opportunities in the field. I really appreciated how much she was willing to help me out.”
At her graduation ceremony, Hadia was invited to give a speech to her peers. Her speech not only reflected on her own journey, but also on those who couldn’t be there. “This graduation is a celebration of every challenge we’ve pushed through,” Hadia told her classmates as she dedicated her diploma to her friends back in Afghanistan. “We were in the same class, and we should have graduated together. So, I graduate for them too.”
This fall, Hadia began studying Biomedical Science at the University of Ottawa. While in school, Hadia also works as a program assistant at the same Pathways Program that supported her, and she looks forward to giving back to students. “Pathways is more than a program for me. It’s a place that gave me self-confidence and community and reminded me that I wasn’t alone.”