Denison Scholar Interns at Afghan Embassy in Tajikistan

Posse Scholar Madina Khudaynazar, a junior at Denison University, spent six weeks as an intern at the Afghan Embassy in Tajikistan. As an international studies major, Madina is interested in learning about Central Asia’s culture and its connection to her Afghan-American heritage.

Madina’s experience increased her desire to learn more about the sociolinguistic impact languages have on communities.

"Being a Posse Scholar has allowed me the safety, foundational support and courage to venture out in the world with the confidence that I can take risks," says Madina.

Madina’s primary internship responsibility was teaching English to diplomats at the embassy. She is already proficient in four languages and will be learning a fifth in preparation for her next trip, to Israel.

Reflecting on her time in Tajikistan, Madina says she found the experience illuminating of her own identity as an Afghan-American woman traveling abroad.

"Without the mentorship I’ve received from my Posse mentor, brothers and sisters, and trainers I might have doubted my ability to go abroad," she says. "But my Posse family was there to reassure me every step of the way."