Growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, education has always been central to Diana Nazari and her family. Although it is not traditional for girls to be highly educated in Afghanistan, this was certainly not the case for Diana, who will be graduating from the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad, India and attending Brown University, a private and Ivy League university, with a complete scholarship. “Not a lot of students from Afghanistan get to study with a scholarship like this in a different country and at such a school like the Aga Khan Academies,” Diana said. During her Diploma Programme, Diana participated in two internships through the Academy’s University Counselling Department, which helps students find internships or summer programmes to engage in. She said the internship experiences, along with her time at the Academy and exposure to the International Baccalaureate curriculum, helped her gain various skills like time management, determination and exploring your passions. When Diana learned about her acceptance and full scholarship to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, she was overfilled with joy and gratitude. For Diana, the ongoing support of others is what enabled her to get this far. “My teachers, my family members, the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad and my classmates have all supported me so much. If I hadn’t come to the Academy in the first place, none of this would be possible at all and I am beyond grateful for being able to study here and begin this new chapter in my life.”