Shoulder to Shoulder: Sisters at AUAF

With only a couple years difference in their age, sisters Sonia and Sofia Ziaee are making their education a family affair.

The petite twosome share a love of fashion, a consistently upbeat attitude, and the same broad grin. Together they enrolled in AUAF’s Foundation Studies Program in January 2008 to help them prepare for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

"For months I looked for a great place for English training," said the younger sister, Sofia. "To experience an international institute inside Afghanistan is the reason I’m here right now."

Sonia, the eldest sister, has accumulated over five years of professional experience with international organizations operating in Afghanistan. After enrolling, her experience in dual-language work environments helped her achieve a passing TOEFL score and gain admission to AUAF’s undergraduate program after only one semester of study.

The sisters are not the only students at AUAF who share the same parents. There are at least 15 pairs of siblings currently enrolled in the two "core" programs, Foundation Studies and Undergraduate.

Law is Sonia’s favorite field of study. As law is not yet offered by AUAF as a major, Sonia chose to enroll in business administration. Sofia will choose information technology and computer studies as her major.

Sonia spent her first three years of the elementary school in Kabul. Like 85% of AUAF students, she spent time outside of her country and completed her high school as a refugee in Pakistan.

Her younger sister, Sofia, has followed the opposite pattern: she completed the first five years of her education in Pakistan, and is currently completing grade eleven in Kabul. Sofia is one of the few AUAF students who are studying English while still in high school.

Sonia spent two months in the California and Washington D.C. States in U.S. in 2004 for network training. Experiencing a short-term in American education system motivated Sonia to seek education in an international institution of higher education. She has recently been shortlisted for a full scholarship to Australia, "I think the essay for application form and my GPA are the main factors which have entered my name into that list." 

Speaking of her experience thus far with AUAF, Sonia says, "It is almost a perfect university in comparison to other universities in Afghanistan, and we are completely satisfied with it. However, we think AUAF could plan courses in music, art, and sports, which encourage students to get involved in the community."

When asked why they applied to AUAF rather than other institutions or universities, Sonia responded, "International standards and method of teaching of this university influenced us to make such decision."