Founder of the Zabuli Education Center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Razia Jan spoke to students about her improbable achievement: under difficult political, economic and cultural conditions, opening a school for young girls. Mrs. Jan was this spring’s Margaret A. Johnson Speaker, a series that brings noted female leaders to campus each year. Mrs. Jan is a member of the Interfaith Council and No Place for Hate, as well as a member of the board of directors at Jordan Hospital. She has received awards for her humanitarian work, including the 2007 Woman of Excellence award from Germaine Lawrence, Inc.
“Once you learn something, no one can take that knowledge away from you. They can put you in prison, but you can write on the walls, recite things, think about good stories, and you can survive.”