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amarga
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries 12 Aug 2019, 17:52
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Hi there,

I am an Afghan-Canadian with citizenship in both countries. My parents are both refugees but I was born in Canada. However, I am also an Afghan citizen who has lived and worked there.

My extra curriculars include extensive work with Afghan refugees (translation services, tutoring and mentorship for Afghan-Canadian children) and also peace and development efforts in Afghanistan, so you can probably concur that my post MBA aspirations involve Afghanistan.

However, in Canada I attend a Top 5 Engineering school and currently intern at one of the tech giants in Silicon Valley.

I sometimes feel like I am living a double life. I obviously have a bright future working in the tech industry but I am far more interested in taking my talents abroad to assist the rehabilitation efforts in Afghanistan. I am currently one of the co-founders of a UN-partnered initiative that connects Afghan youth in Afghanistan with financial support, mentorship and other resources they need to fully execute their ideas for "peace". In this context, peace is very vaguely defined. Not all of their initiatives are security related. We have youth that are interested in improving access to education for rural children, starting their own businesses (contributing to the economy), providing hygiene and health education etc.

How can I translate my background in tech to a career in Afghanistan? I genuinely feel that I have the right network to build a successful career for myself there. I can foresee myself creating something like a Y-Combinator in Kabul. Startup Incubator culture exists in Afghanistan but has largely failed thus far. My work is largely focused on Afghan youth, who make up 70% of the country's population.

I am very interested in Harvard's 2+2 program. I have never heard of any Afghans at HBS and we are generally a very underrepresented group in higher education because of the impact of war on education, and the low socio economic bracket of our diaspora. There are only about 300k of us in the United States.

My question is, how can I explain my life story lol? I think my career aspirations align more with my Afghan citizenship than if I were to apply as a Canadian, but I was born in Canada. However, growing up speaking 3 languages, very poor, and being raised by two refugees with PTSD really shaped me and my career aspirations.

Thanks, and sorry for the long post!
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries 13 Aug 2019, 13:27
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You have an interesting story, try linking it up with the school's ambition. Schools love someone inspirational!
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries 14 Aug 2019, 12:10
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HBS seeks passion, inspiration, big dreams, problem solving, commitment, implementation, diversity and uniqueness.
I believe all these are in YOU amarga
I feel as if HBS is waiting for to apply.
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries 14 Aug 2019, 15:41
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Congrats on overcoming adversity and really good job on your parents behalf giving you ability to get where you are today. Adcom often looks at the progression and what one is able to do with the resources they had access to. One could be attending New York's best prep school but if they failed to apply themselves and failed to really do anything with that education to stand out, the Adcom will be unimpressed. On the other hand, someone who attended a village school and organized people, accomplished some very basic things that perhaps were inferior but required a lot of effort will get more credit. Bottom line - your effort and resilience will count. You don't have to succeed every time but you have to show effort, maturity, and ability.

In terms of narrating your story, it is a narrow path and I feel you could really use some help from an MBA student or alum or an admissions consultant to help with crafting that message. You will be applying as a Canadian resident/citizen since you are going to school in Canada but who will be trying to paint a story of a person stuck between the two worlds and the backdrop of Afghanistan.

At the same time, I would surprised if there were no other Afghan alums or students at HBS. It is a well known country that always sits at the top of every drop down list for address (which as a US citizen, I get somewhat annoyed with scrolling and wish I was from Afghanistan for a split second). I did a quick google search and found this: https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/stories/Page ... x?num=4018 and possibly there is more but just not out there. I would do some research ahead so you don't make an statement that will show you did not do your research....

Very cool story and Good Luck!
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries 14 Aug 2019, 16:55
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Congrats on overcoming adversity and really good job on your parents behalf giving you ability to get where you are today. Adcom often looks at the progression and what one is able to do with the resources they had access to. One could be attending New York's best prep school but if they failed to apply themselves and failed to really do anything with that education to stand out, the Adcom will be unimpressed. On the other hand, someone who attended a village school and organized people, accomplished some very basic things that perhaps were inferior but required a lot of effort will get more credit. Bottom line - your effort and resilience will count. You don't have to succeed every time but you have to show effort, maturity, and ability.

In terms of narrating your story, it is a narrow path and I feel you could really use some help from an MBA student or alum or an admissions consultant to help with crafting that message. You will be applying as a Canadian resident/citizen since you are going to school in Canada but who will be trying to paint a story of a person stuck between the two worlds and the backdrop of Afghanistan.

At the same time, I would surprised if there were no other Afghan alums or students at HBS. It is a well known country that always sits at the top of every drop down list for address (which as a US citizen, I get somewhat annoyed with scrolling and wish I was from Afghanistan for a split second). I did a quick google search and found this: https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/stories/Page ... x?num=4018 and possibly there is more but just not out there. I would do some research ahead so you don't make an statement that will show you did not do your research....

Very cool story and Good Luck!
Show more

Wow, thanks so much! I feel so lucky to have bb commenting on my post! I appreciate your feedback, and reading the story you just shared with me brought tears to my eyes. I am familiar with this company and used them as my cellular service provider when I was living in Afghanistan. There is so much business opportunity to seize in Afghanistan that is overshadowed by the security situation. I feel so inspired to see that someone else has paved the way and shown that it is indeed possible!

However, one important thing to note is that Mr. Khoja is actually an Indian born in South Africa, so my situation as an Afghan national is a bit different. I have heard of Afghans at Harvard but not HBS, but I will continue to consult my sources.

I am going to reach out to my network and see if I can get in touch with Mr. Khoja himself and see if he knows any other Afghan HBS alum that could help me craft my story. Thanks for the advice!
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries 14 Aug 2019, 21:23
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Great and thank you for clarifying about Khoja - I did not have a chance to do a very detailed research or analysis. Good Luck!
:-)
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries Updated on: 16 Aug 2019, 07:45
Originally posted by Accepted.com on 15 Aug 2019, 12:06.
Last edited by Accepted.com on 16 Aug 2019, 07:45, edited 1 time in total.
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amarga
Hi there,

I am an Afghan-Canadian with citizenship in both countries. My parents are both refugees but I was born in Canada. However, I am also an Afghan citizen who has lived and worked there.

My extra curriculars include extensive work with Afghan refugees (translation services, tutoring and mentorship for Afghan-Canadian children) and also peace and development efforts in Afghanistan, so you can probably concur that my post MBA aspirations involve Afghanistan.

However, in Canada I attend a Top 5 Engineering school and currently intern at one of the tech giants in Silicon Valley.

I sometimes feel like I am living a double life. I obviously have a bright future working in the tech industry but I am far more interested in taking my talents abroad to assist the rehabilitation efforts in Afghanistan. I am currently one of the co-founders of a UN-partnered initiative that connects Afghan youth in Afghanistan with financial support, mentorship and other resources they need to fully execute their ideas for "peace". In this context, peace is very vaguely defined. Not all of their initiatives are security related. We have youth that are interested in improving access to education for rural children, starting their own businesses (contributing to the economy), providing hygiene and health education etc.

How can I translate my background in tech to a career in Afghanistan? I genuinely feel that I have the right network to build a successful career for myself there. I can foresee myself creating something like a Y-Combinator in Kabul. Startup Incubator culture exists in Afghanistan but has largely failed thus far. My work is largely focused on Afghan youth, who make up 70% of the country's population.

I am very interested in Harvard's 2+2 program. I have never heard of any Afghans at HBS and we are generally a very underrepresented group in higher education because of the impact of war on education, and the low socio economic bracket of our diaspora. There are only about 300k of us in the United States.

My question is, how can I explain my life story lol? I think my career aspirations align more with my Afghan citizenship than if I were to apply as a Canadian, but I was born in Canada. However, growing up speaking 3 languages, very poor, and being raised by two refugees with PTSD really shaped me and my career aspirations.

Thanks, and sorry for the long post!
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HI Amarga,

I agree with those encouraging you to apply to elite programs including HBS 2+2. You have the kinds of goals that IMO would be appealing to deferred admission programs. (I'm assuming you have above average grades and will get a competitive GRE/GMAT.)

Regarding your dual identity, revel in it. You have the advantage of Canadian education and security in your upbringing and at the same time exposure to the troubles of Afghanistan both through your parents and the path you have chosen. I suspect that using your high tech savvy to benefit Afghanistan will be the way to bridge the gap between your identities. Schools would live your story, assuming you present it well.

You may be interested in
Ida Valentine: Investment Banker, Inspirational Speaker, HBS 2021. I'm recommending this podcast because she overcame major hurdles and hardship on her way to HBS.

If you'd like help presenting your story, please let me know.
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Dual Citizen living a "Double Life" in both countries 16 Aug 2019, 06:29
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That is lovely Mahmoudfawzy83 :heart :heart :heart :heart :heart
Mahmoudfawzy83
HBS seeks passion, inspiration, big dreams, problem solving, commitment, implementation, diversity and uniqueness.
I believe all these are in YOU amarga
I feel as if HBS is waiting for to apply.
Show more