Roya came to Canada as a refugee in 2012 after her father was killed by the Taliban while promoting her right to pursue an education. “I was privileged to be raised by liberally minded parents, despite the conservative society,” says Roya of her 14 years growing up in Kandahar with four sisters and four brothers. “We have fond memories from childhood, and we received a lot of love from our parents, a lot of wisdom, freedom, and confidence.”
Settling in Ottawa with the support of a few key individuals, including uOttawa alumna Lisa LaFlamme (BA '88), Roya did her best to carry forward her goal, and the desire of her parents, that she receive a university education. It often wasn’t easy—Roya recalls struggling through high school Shakespeare and missing her family—but she persevered.
With support from the Roger Guindon scholarship, Roya made the decision to study international development and globalization at uOttawa. She remembers her first time touring the university with Lisa LaFlamme: “She said ‘Roya, if you study hard and keep your head above the water, you’ll do great because this campus is the land of opportunity.’”
Today, Roya has found not only opportunity, but also Gee-Gees community. With supporters ranging from academic advisors to former-President of uOttawa, Allan Rock (LLB '71), Roya says the university’s tight knit community is something she has come to love. “They are my lifelines,” says Roya. “I believe that kindness goes far.”
“No one wants to leave their home or their loved ones behind. They come for a better chance and life.”
Roya Shams (BSocSc ’19)
Creating a welcoming community for other refugees to Canada
Nearly a decade after arriving in Canada as a refugee, Roya found herself supporting her family members in making the same journey. It was 2021 and Afghanistan was poised to fall under Taliban rule. For months, Roya kept tabs on the paperwork of more than 20 refugee claims.
Eventually, in early October, she was reunited with 27 family members—including her mother—at Toronto Pearson International Airport. It was as much an introduction as it was a reunion: Roya brought lollipops for the nieces and nephews she had never met, securing her role as a favourite auntie. With everyone now in Ottawa, Roya regularly finds herself on babysitting duty.
Outside of supporting her immediate family members, Roya has also volunteered with several groups to resettle Syrian, Palestinian, and Afghan refugees in Ottawa. Though she’ll occasionally share her personal story, she says what’s more important is that she’s one of the many kind, friendly faces ensuring people feel welcome in Canada.
And just as she was forced to leave Afghanistan as a teenager, Roya says it’s important for people to remember that nobody is a refugee by choice, and that everyone is trying to make the best of the circumstances they’ve been given.
“No one wants to leave their home or their loved ones behind. They come for a better chance and life,” she says. “Refugees are not aliens from another planet; they’re humans like us. Treat someone as though you’re treating your own family member.”
A continued fight for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan
Having nearly completed her master of international affairs program at uOttawa, Roya has her sights set on the University’s common law program. “The more you are educated the more you realize there are different perspectives and ways of development,” reflects Roya of her studies.
That includes an altered perspective on how she sees the situation in Afghanistan. “Before [my degree] I had a real emotional response. I was frustrated, disappointed, and heartbroken,” Roya shares. “Now, because of the tools and skills that I have it’s harder for me to give up. I have more ability to discuss and to look at problems and possible solutions in different ways.”
One of those solutions is to advance the work of a charity she started in 2016 as a second-year student at uOttawa. Today, The Andisha Foundation (formerly The Shams Foundation) encourages parents in Afghanistan to continue sending their children to school in exchange for nutritious meals for the entire family.
Urging continued education is especially pertinent today: In 2022, the Taliban announced they would not be reopening schools to girls above the sixth grade. “I feel for all of these girls, and I constantly think of them when I walk on campus or ride my bike,” says Roya. “It’s frustrating that such a small group of barbaric humans are challenging our basic human right of education.”
Essential to the solution, Roya adds, is economic empowerment for women: “When you allow women to be economically independent you avoid all sorts of abuses against them. That’s what the Taliban are afraid of. My mission will be complete when I can provide every Afghan girl, whether it’s a daughter or wife of the Taliban or a normal civilian, with the right to attend school.”
