When Mastora Matin arrived in Sacramento in 2021 with her family after fleeing Afghanistan, she entered a school system that promised opportunity but was difficult to navigate. Her parents, unfamiliar with the American education system and limited by language barriers, struggled to communicate with school staff and understand available services.
Like many newly arrived Afghan students, Matin faced the challenge of adapting to a new language, a new culture and a new educational environment while carrying the weight of displacement and uncertainty about the future.
Her experience is not unique. It reflects the reality facing many Afghan refugee families across Sacramento today…