Beheshta Rasekh is a distinguished young leader, passionate debater, and dedicated legal representative. She holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) and a Master of Law degree from Syracuse University College of Law, which she obtained through the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. She received two CALI Excellence for Future Awards (given to the law student with the highest grade in the class) for her academic excellence during her LL.M. program.

Beheshta was awarded a fellowship with the Hiscock Legal Aid Society, where she provides legal representation, counsel, and advice to Afghan refugees resettled in the United States. She has successfully represented Afghans in cases related to asylum, employment authorization, special immigrant visas (SIV), family reunifications, temporary protected status, and more.

Beheshta represented AUAF in several moot court competitions during her time there, including the moot courts in the Netherlands and Germany, and the national rounds of the renowned Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Beheshta is also the founder of HAWA (Helping Afghan Women Advance), a resource providing educational and empowerment opportunities for Afghan women in Afghanistan and in exile.

Bahara Hussaini, a Fulbright Scholar, has earned her master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF).

Bahara is an accomplished scholar and a passionate advocate for education and peace. She initiated “The Bookies,” a volunteer movement that fosters peace through education among Afghan children since 2019. Through this initiative, Bahara and her team work to nurture a culture of harmony and acceptance in five provinces of Afghanistan. Presently, Bahara serves as the Bilingual Liaison Lead at the Central Office of Lowell Public Schools, where she continues to contribute to advancing education and promoting peace in her community.

Her work has been published twice: her most recent Master’s Thesis, “Repression Against Religious Minorities: A Case Study of Hazaras in Afghanistan,” and “E-Tazkira: Evolution, Opportunities, and Challenges,” published in the Women and Public Policy Journal by DROPS, a Policy Research and Development Organization, in May 2018.

Fatima is an AUAF alumna and a US Embassy scholar. She holds a BBA and is currently working as a Program Associate at the International Finance Corporation – World Bank Group based in DC. She began her career as a communications intern with the World Bank Group at the Kabul office and has worked in various teams and regions. She will be starting her graduate studies in the fall of 2024 at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics. Fatima’s career trajectory shapes her future mission: to contribute to significant change within transformative organizations such as the World Bank Group. Through her work, she aims to impact women’s empowerment, social justice, and economic development in Afghanistan.

Rahmatullah Hamraz is the Assistant Director of the International Policy and Development Program at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. He works with Harris faculty to design and coordinate data collection efforts in Afghanistan, manage and analyze data, and provide research briefs for practitioner audiences. Besides managing International Policy and Development Program budget and operations, he also provides academic advice and resources to students and oversees career development activities. Before the fall of Afghanistan in 2021, Rahmatullah was the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation for Administrative Reforms in the Ashraf Ghani Government. In 2021, he was selected as a Blossom Hill Foundation Fellow to implement his Conflict Affected Girls’ Empowerment Program. More than 300 girls and young women have received education and income generating skills training under his program in Afghanistan.