UWC-USA alumni learn that education carries a responsibility: to stand with others and to make sure important stories are heard. That commitment runs through The Vanishing Girl of Kabul, co‑authored by UWC‑USA alumna and journalist Amie Ferris‑Rotman ’98. The book tells the story of Zahra Joya who, as a child under the first Taliban regime, disguised herself as a boy just to attend school. As an adult, she became a reporter and founded a media outlet to document the lives of Afghan women pushed to the margins.
When the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and women were again forced from public life, much of Zahra’s hard‑won progress disappeared. Her determination to speak did not. Working closely with Zahra, Amie uses her journalistic experience and international platform to carry this story beyond Afghanistan’s borders. Their collaboration reflects a broader UWC pattern: alumni partnering with those facing injustice, helping them claim their voices and ensuring their narratives reach the audiences that need to hear them most.