About Shabana
Bio
Shabana is the co-founder and president of the School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), a nonprofit dedicated to providing Afghan girls a rigorous education that promotes critical thinking, a sense of purpose, and respect for self and others. SOLA is a recognized pioneer in education that prepares Afghan girls from diverse backgrounds to become compassionate, curious, and confident women leading a peaceful, prosperous, and united Afghanistan.
Born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, Shabana completed high school in the U.S. through the State Department’s Youth Exchange Studies program. She went on to attend Middlebury College in Vermont, graduating magna cum laude in International Studies and Women & Gender Studies in 2011.
During her time at Middlebury, Shabana was awarded the Davis Peace Prize to build wells on the outskirts of Kabul and was selected as one of Glamour Magazine’s Top 10 College Women of 2010 for building a school for girls in eastern Afghanistan. She also received the Vermont Campus Compact 2011 Madeleine Kunin Public Service Award for outstanding leadership and service to others. Her greatest achievement came in 2008 when she co-founded SOLA.
Upon graduating, Shabana returned to Kabul to establish SOLA as Afghanistan’s first boarding school for girls. SOLA is paving the way by providing quality education to an underserved and underrepresented population, helping graduates enter universities worldwide. Not only is the school unique, but SOLA’s students are as well. The students range from ages 11-19 and represent all major ethnic groups and religious sects. SOLA’s graduates have gone on to attend 45 different schools and colleges in 6 countries.
Shabana is widely recognized as a leading advocate for girls’ education. She is a global ambassador for Girl Rising, a global campaign for girls’ education, and was recently named one of National Geographic’s 2014 Emerging Explorers as well as one of CNN International’s Leading Women of 2014.
When Shabana is not home in Kabul, she is often travelling abroad to gain support and further SOLA’s message as well as advocate for investment in girls’ education globally.