After graduating high school and passing her university entrance exam, Hangama Amirpoor was prepared to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor — until the Taliban banned secondary education for girls in Afghanistan after retaking power in 2021.
She eventually relocated to the U.S. and enrolled at Modesto Junior College, where one of her instructors announced a new course designed for English learners interested in becoming nursing assistants. She decided to enroll this fall semester.
A native Farsi speaker, Amirpoor said the language barrier has been her biggest challenge. Still, she learns new words every day and has been taking classes to strengthen her English skills…