Afghan Refugee Finds New Hope From Emily Griffith English Language Classes

Emily Griffith Technical College student Omid Rawaan fled Afghanistan when the Taliban seized control of the country last August. 

His first name, Omid, means “hope” and he says it took a lot of hope for him to successfully escape his home country where he served as a security guard for the Afghan president. 

“Refugees are those types of people who had many problems in their home country, and they come here, and they have many hopes,” he says.

Specifically, he was an agent for the Presidential Protective Service (PPS), which helped protect the president of Afghanistan. 

Prior to working for the PPS, he worked as a translator for American troops in the country, so he knew just enough English to help with military translations. 

When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Omid’s life quickly became endangered.

“The Taliban were looking for previous government employees, especially military forces, especially translators, those who were supporting U.S. troops in Afghanistan,” he says. “They told me they were tracking me. They said, ‘Once we track you, once we catch you, definitely we will kill you.’”

He was fortunate that he was able to escape to America, but had to leave his wife and three young daughters behind. 

“I really miss them. It’s the first time that I’m away from my family members. I passed really hard days especially the days that I entered (the U.S.). I’m hopeful right now, because the IRC that ran my cases did a really good job,” he says. 

The International RescueCommittee (IRC) helped Omid get to Denver and gave him financial support for the first four months. He then started working as a security guard at Advantage Security in Denver. 

The IRC also told him about Emily Griffith Technical College’s English Language Acquisition classes, and he signed up immediately. Although he had spoken English as a translator in Afghanistan, he still wanted to improve his skills.

“English is a type of language you have to keep it fresh, because you forget things,” he says. “I’m really happy right now that I’m a student at Emily Griffith, because they’re providing a really good education services for the refugees.”

He absolutely loves his instructor, and brags about how the College embraces all refugees and immigrants and works to put their best interests first. 

“I can see many positive changes in my English. I have improved. Previously I was not able to speak English fluently the way I’m doing right now,” he says.

His next goal is to apply for scholarships provided by the Emily Griffith Foundation so that he can continue his education. 

The ultimate goal is to bring his wife and daughters to Denver. 

“They’re really suffering from financial problems. There’s no work. There’s no income in Afghanistan. If I get a scholarship in the future, that would be good,” he says. 

Omid says that Emily Griffith Technical College is doing a great job helping refugees, guiding them, and giving them hope for a new life in a new country. He said he will no doubt have his wife take English Language Acquisition classes at Emily Griffith when she arrives.