A young professional with a passion for education and advocacy, Narwan was born and raised in Afghanistan, and moved to the United States in December 2021. Upon arriving at a military base in Indiana, she immediately began teaching English to other Afghan women.  In 2022, she moved to Boston where she was accepted into Year Up, a selective, tuition-free job training program.  After completing the program in 2023, she secured a full-time position at the investment firm at which she had interned.  It was then that she conceived of the idea for RAWAN and succeeded in obtaining a grant to help her design and launch the program.  In addition to serving as RAWAN’s president, she is currently pursuing a business degree at Southern New Hampshire where her commitment to personal growth and community leadership won her a full scholarship.

A Professor Emeritus of English and Media Studies at Bentley University in Waltham, MA, Edward was the founding director of the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center.  As a Senior Associate for Service-Learning at the American Association for Higher Education, he visited over a hundred colleges and universities across the United States and Canada, helping faculty, students, and local community members develop partnerships to address issues of public concern.  He has been especially interested in programs that provide new opportunities for young people.

For the last 34 years, as the principal of a CPA practice in Boston, David has specialized in tax consulting and planning for high-net worth individuals and real estate developers.  Using his financial background, he volunteers as the treasurer for multiple political campaigns and non-profits.  As the child of a refugee, he has been motivated to assist families seeking freedom and safety in America.  Along with his wife, he has founded efforts to address housing insecurity and has created a variety of scholarships aimed at supporting striving young students.  

Motivated by her strongly held belief that every human being has a right to a quality education, Karen Silver has dedicated her career to ensuring that, beginning in their earliest years, all young people in Boston have access to high quality educational programs. For over 30 years, she has worked with schools across Boston to improve their educational practices with the goal of preparing and empowering their students to reach their highest potential. Her work has been driven by her strong commitment to promoting equity and women’s rights.

A former lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and director of Harvard’s ESL teacher-training program for more than 10 years, Karen conducted the first research into the use of captioned video for language learning and won awards for the development of early prototypes of technology now commonly used, such as lexical search of audio and video. She has consulted on language-teaching projects integrating technology for entities including the US State Department, the US Department of Defense, AmidEast, Fulbright, Microsoft and Annenberg.  She has also given workshops and delivered keynotes in countries around the world.  

During his university years, Ahmad was actively involved with GAAM, a nonprofit organization focused on improving the lives of street children in Afghanistan. As a key contributor to GAAM, he helped coordinate efforts to support around 100 children by securing monthly food supplies for their families and encouraging them to prioritize education over street labor.  Now a dedicated dentist with a passion for humanitarian work, he has provided dental care to many children and individuals in difficult life situations. After the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, he became committed to ensuring that Afghan girls have access to education, thus continuing his work to uplift and empower those in need. 

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Lin Zhou is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Northeastern University Global Program.
She holds a PhD in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawai’i and is currently
pursuing an MBA at D’Amore McKim Business School. Lin’s research focuses on design-based
educational games creation and course design to empower educators and support differentiated
instruction. For her PhD dissertation, she developed a game-supported critical writing course for
second-language learners, enabling students to collaborate with peers and game characters to
explore socio-political issues. Passionate about innovation and development, Lin founded her
own language center during her PhD studies and continues to contribute to the field with her
creative approach to education.

With a strong educational background and extensive experience in teaching and community service, Tayeba is committed to empowering Afghan women and children through education and personal support. She holds an English Language Diploma from the Muslim English Language Institute (MELI) and is pursuing a Bachelor of Health Science from the University of the People (Online).  As a pivotal part of RAWAN since 2023, she has developed and delivered English language courses, conducted live online classes, and assessed student progress.  She also serves as a Medical Intern at Shefajo Hospital and supports women’s health initiatives though AFSOG (Afghan Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), of which she is a member.

Long captivated by the possibilities of technology and innovation, Wais has demonstrated expertise in web design, branding, and digital solutions. His success has allowed him to establish his own company – a company dedicated to helping businesses as well as nonprofits unlock their full potential through tailored services.  Over the years, his desire to give back has led him to volunteer his assistance to many philanthropic undertakings and to offer workshops in Afghanistan that raise awareness about mind sciences and mindfulness. He has been an integral part of the RAWAN since its inception, serving as its primary technology advisor and manager. His dedication to community service extends to the RAFA organization, where he has played a vital role in fundraising efforts.