Refugees Face Unique Challenges as College Students

In journey from fighting to freedom, they face stereotypes but express optimism

ByABC News
April 7, 2011, 2:17 PM

April 8, 2011— -- They come from wartorn countries like Afghanistan, or poor, politically unstable nations in West Africa, or places where expressing your views can land you in jail. They find new life in America, and for the young, a college education that may not have been available in their homeland becomes a possibility.

But for refugee college students, the transition can be a tricky one that few native-born U.S. college students can relate to.

After trying to learn the English language and make new friends, breaking through stereotypes that plague their nationalities can present a challenge.

Musadiq Bidar, 18 and a native of Afghanistan, is a freshman journalism major at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. He loves sports and currently holds two jobs: one as a scorekeeper for an intramural basketball team, the other working at a drycleaning and laundry service on GW's campus.

His journey to the U.S. began when he was 4 years old and his father, a broadcast journalist for the Afghan National Radio Station, was being threatened by the Taliban.

The Taliban bombed the house, killing his grandfather and injuring his father. The family fled to a refugee camp in Pakistan. There they were given a bag of rice, a bag of flour, oil and an electric tent to live in.

"When you arrive to the camp, you are responsible for whatever money or possessions you bring in," Bidar told ABCNews.com. "You are also responsible to look for jobs and places to live once you're in the camp."

In 2003, the United Nations granted Bidar and his family refugee status, and they were relocated to Arizona; they stayed there until they moved to San Francisco, where a family friend from Afghanistan had been relocated.

"When I came to America, I didn't know any English. So having to go to school, and experience desks, textbooks and computers was overwhelming to me," Bidar said. In middle school Bidar not only caught up but surpassed his American classmates. And in high school he excelled at basketball.