Role model - Farah Ahmedi - author

Farah Ahmedi survived turmoil as a teen in Afghanistan to start a new life in Illinois. She won a nationwide search for first-person stories and became an author.

Hometown: Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Farah, 17, now lives in Wheaton, Ill.

School: Farah is a senior at Wheaton North High School

How you know her: Farah won the “Good Morning America”/Simon & Schuster “Story of My Life” contest. She was picked from 6,000 contestants to have her life story turned into a book, The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky (Simon & Schuster, $22).

Before Farah took the next step: Farah lost her leg to a landmine while taking a shortcut so she wouldn’t be late to second grade. After recovering in Germany, she returned to Afghanistan, where the Taliban was in power. Her father and sisters were killed by a bomb, and her two brothers fled the country to avoid being forced into the Taliban. Farah’s mother was sick, but the two escaped to Pakistan, where they lived in refugee camps and as servants for four years. In Pakistan, Farah learned of a program sending Afghani refugees to America. Now a senior in high school, she’s become a stellar student. When she first started high school, she hadn’t been to school since the second grade and never learned to read or write. Now she’s sharing her story and works as a youth ambassador for the United Nation’s Adopt-a-Minefield program that works to clear minefields.

NSM: In Pakistan, you worked as a servant for a family with a daughter who taunted you. How did you overcome the cruelty?
Farah: For a while, I kept it inside. I couldn’t tell my mom because she was sick. One night, I went out to get water. When I was outside, I saw the stars shining. I thought, “This is a good time to share whatever I want.” I felt God was listening. My heart was like a balloon, my chest was so tight. Afterwards, I felt looser. Every day, I thank God that I got out of that situation.

NSM: Then at your school in Wheaton, another girl kept trying to put you down. Your multicultural club hosted a fashion show, and she said you shouldn’t be able to participate because you couldn’t “walk like a model.” What advice do you have for other teens who deal with a classmate’s criticism?
Farah: Don’t let them get you down. We can do anything we want. Just listen to your heart, and don’t let anyone distract you.

NSM: How do you feel you’ve changed since your freshman year?
Farah: My freshman year, I couldn’t speak English. I was like nothing there; no one was asking me “Where are you from?” I was like a ghost no one sees. Now it has changed a lot. My classmates know me, and they’re proud of me.

NSM: Why are you working to help clear landmines?
Farah: Because I went through it, and it’s so hard to lose your leg, your family and not go to school. To go from second grade to freshman year and not know the language was so hard. I felt stupid. I saw the students with big, big books. They were doing homework so fast and staying after school for activities and fun stuff. I couldn’t stay; I missed all fun things. It took me a while to do homework; I couldn’t join those clubs after school. I couldn’t do sports because of my leg.

NSM: You recently toured the White House and met Laura Bush. She showed you a framed photograph from her trip to Afghanistan. It’s been seven years since you’ve seen Afghanistan; how was it to look at her photo?
Farah: [Afghanistan] is not different. Still, everything now looks so far away. But it looks like yesterday, I can’t forget it. I just got out [of Afghanistan]. I don’t want to go back for a while!

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Role model - Farah Ahmedi - author

Farah Ahmedi survived turmoil as a teen in Afghanistan to start a new life in Illinois. She won a nationwide search for first-person stories and became an author.

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