Help Sughra Get Started In College

My name is Jackie Hueftle and I'm a rock climber, climbing hold manufacturer, and freelance writer from Boulder, Colorado. This winter, a BBC reporter I know put me in touch with a young Afghani refugee who has been evacuated to America as a Humanitarian Parolee. Her name is Sughra and she is also a climber--in fact, her evacuation was coordinated and supported by the group she learned to climb with, Ascend Leadership Through Athletics . In addition to the support she's getting from Ascend and some government programs, I've been trying to help Sughra get more settled here in the US.  One of the projects we're all working on is trying to help her get into college. For more of her story, you can see an article I wrote about Sughra on Outside / Climbing Magazine Online (Read Her Story Here ). Please read the story and see below and you will understand why we are asking for some help for her.

 

 

Sughra riding for the environment with the Unbeatable Bikers group she co-founded. In Afghanistan it is traditionally not allowed for women to ride bikes, but Sughra dreamed of biking and she pushed for women's right to cycle.

 

Sughra is a 20-year-old Humanitarian Parolee who escaped from Afghanistan with help from her climbing group Ascend: Leadership Through Athletics.

 

In addition to climbing, Sughra is a passionate cyclist who organized Unbeatable Bikers to push for women's right to cycle in Afghanistan. Climbing and cycling are both heavily discouraged for women in Afghanistan, but Sughra saw the importance of these activities and pursued them even though, as a woman, it was dangerous to be seen doing them.

 

Sughra ice climbing in Afghanistan with Ascend.

 

When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, Sughra was forced to flee and, after several attempts and a lot of help from Ascend, was lucky enough to make it out. She is now safely in the US and is trying to get a scholarship for college.

 

 

 

Snow tubing with Ascend in Qarghanato

 

Education is one of the great passions of Sughra's life. She was an excellent student but was forced to work after High School because she had to help support her family. She continued to work at the school, teaching and helping others. Now that she's in the US her dream is to pursue her own higher education and she has already applied to some schools including Columbia School of General Studies in New York. She wants to study business and psychology with a master's in International Affairs, and she wants to use her degrees and unique life experience to create positive change in the world.

 

 

On a mountain in Afghanistan during an Ascend expedition

 

Sughra's siblings are still in hiding in Afghanistan. Their father worked for the Americans for many years and has managed to escape to Pakistan, but her siblings remain and are in danger. Sughra is looking for an Immigration Lawyer who can help her help them get to safety.

 

All funds will be transferred to Sughra to help her with her needs at this time including transportation, clothing, and legal. Any remaining funds will be used to help other refugees from the Ascend group. She is hesitant to ask for financial help but this is a crucial time for her and if we can get her on her feet I am confident she will make the most of her opportunities to help herself and will pay it forward to help others as she has done throughout her life.

 

When talking to Sughra and writing her story I was reminded over and over that climbing and cycling are privileged activities that many of us take for granted. We are lucky to be able to participate in them. For Sughra, every day of climbing or cycling was a risk--a risk she was willing to take. She felt joy doing these activities and she wanted to help other women feel strong and inspired as well. She applied this same motivation and bravery to her education, her teaching work, and her escape from Afghanistan. I am confident she will apply it to her future endeavors as well as she becomes a strong female leader who will help others in disadvantaged countries and situations like that she came from.

 

Thank you in advance for any help you can give, and please contact us if you can help us save her siblings!

 

 

 

Near the top of a big mountain she climbed with her hiking group. Out of a group of 50, only 5 made it to the top!

 

Note: I didn't want to write about myself here at all, but because of the number of fundraisers for different Afghani causes, Go Fund Me requires some host info as well. To be very clear, Sughra is here in the US legally as a Humanitarian Parolee and, though she has some government support, it will run out soon. She also has been helped and continues to get help from Ascend, who are working hard to support all the girls they have helped escape Afghanistan during this crisis. At the moment Sughra is spending this time working part time, applying for full time jobs and internships, and also applying to different schools. I will be transferring all funds raised directly to her to help her get established and cover fees and expenses. Thank you.