Dallas, Texas – “My thoughts and prayers are with the students, faculty, and staff of the American University of Afghanistan, and with the families of those injured or lost in the attacks on a peaceful place of learning.
“On my first trip to Afghanistan in 2005, I announced the grant that launched the American University of Afghanistan and met with teachers who were being trained. My hope was that girls would be able to obtain a good education and that one day, there would be a female valedictorian of the American University of Afghanistan. When AUAF opened a year later with fifty-three students, only one was female. Today, nearly half of the students enrolled are women, including the 2014 valedictorian, a young woman I’ve come to know whose success represents the remarkable achievements of her peers. Their dreams of progress and peace in Afghanistan will not be stifled by cowards who use violence in an attempt to instill fear. Armed with their education, these young men and women will continue to transform their country.”
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