Fakhria Azimi won’t let anything get in the way of her goals. This business major has been rebuilding her dreams at QCC and is on the rise to success.
Fakhria is from Afghanistan, where she led a busy life attending college, running a business, and enjoying time with her family. With support from her parents, Fakhria and her sister started a clothing business together, inspired by their volunteer work with UNICEF. They not only sold clothing, but also gave women the opportunity to gain skills and independence and had grown to 20 employees.
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, everything changed. Fakhria's plans were immediately cut short when women were no longer allowed to do things like go to school or have a job. She described it as a very dark time, but she never gave up hope.
To pursue a life with more freedom, Fakhria and her siblings made the difficult decision to move to the United States. While she admitted it was challenging to leave home for a new place where she didn’t know the language or culture, she leaned into the experience and has worked incredibly hard to make the best of the situation.
After enrolling at QCC in 2023 to learn English, Fakhria was pleased to find a supportive community of faculty, staff, and students that helped her learn and grow. Her professors have been especially influential and the courses have suited her natural love of learning.
“I should write a book about QCC. I started from zero and I have improved a lot. I’m so happy I chose to come here,” Fakhria said.
Because Fakhria has enjoyed QCC so much, it was a source of great pride when she landed a job in Admissions, where she helps the next generation of students with applications, tours and events. She also works full-time in the assembly department at Amazon Robotics. Her schedule is packed, but she has grown professionally and gained valuable friendships, which have helped her feel like the U.S. is her second home.
"I want to be a positive and helpful person for society here. I want to work hard and help people," said Fakhria.
She would like to start another clothing business here, but has also considered opening a restaurant. And she won't stop there. There is more education and a variety of career paths in Fakhria's vision of the future and she shows no signs of slowing down.
"Never give up," Fakhria encouraged. "I lost everything once, but by starting again and staying persistent, I am now moving closer to my goals. With education and perseverance, success is always possible."