Graduate Mohammad Bidaki gets a fist bump from fellow graduates after speaking during the South High Community School graduation exercises June 4 at the DCU Center. Rick Cinclair / Telegram & Gazette

By: Jesse Collings from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Key Points:

• Mohammad Hamad Bidaki asked the principal if he could address his classmates at graduation.
• He was born in Afghanistan and immigrated to Worcester as a teen.
• Mayor Petty” ‘You are living the American dream’

WORCESTER — On the same day President Donald Trump issued a travel ban on citizens from Afghanistan, an Afghan native took the stage at South High Community School’s graduation and reminded his fellow classmates what the American dream is all about.

Mohammad Hamed Bidaki was born in Afghanistan and immigrated to Worcester as a teenager, where he left his family behind to pursue his academic dreams in America.

“Standing here in this cap and gown is the greatest honor of my life,” Bidaki told his classmates during the ceremony, which took place on Wednesday night at the DCU Center. “Honestly it feels surreal, just a few years ago I was Googling how to survive high school.”

In his speech, Bidaki said his journey to Worcester began when he was 14, when the Taliban invaded his city in Afghanistan.

“When I was 14, my world changed forever. I remember the deafening sounds of gun shots, the smoke rising into the sky and the fear that swept through our home. My father rushed my siblings and I into our basement, and my mother prayed for our safety,” Bidaki said. “Our family’s bookstore, the place where I first fell in love with learning, was forced to close.”

After the Taliban took over, Bidaki said, girls, such as his sister, were banned from attending school.

“Imagine that for a minute — the curious young girls in your life, your classmates, your sisters, your daughters, are suddenly told they cannot learn, they cannot grow, they cannot dream,” Bidaki said.

Leaving home

Bidaki said that he left his hometown and headed to Kabul, leaving his family behind. He went to Kabul because he heard a rumor that U.S. soldiers were evacuating refugees to the United States, and while he did not know if that was actually true, the hope was enough for him to make the sacrifice and go alone to Kabul.

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“I made the decision to leave my family behind and go to Kabul, not because it was safe but because it was the only path left. I was scared, alone and uncertain but I kept moving forward,” Bidaki said. “I went to the airport and spoke to soldiers in English, my fourth language, hoping someone would understand me, hoping someone could help me.”

Against all odds, Bidaki managed to secure passage to the United States, eventually landing him in Worcester and attending South High.

“Today I stand here not only as a graduate but as a voice for those who are still waiting. For the children whose classroom has been taken away, for the girls whose future remains locked, behind closed doors,” Bidaki said. “Today I carry them directly, in my heart, in my story and my hope.”

Bidaki gave a special acknowledgement to his sister, Asma, who after two years, has been able to join Bidaki in the United States.

To sister: ‘I carry your dreams with me always’

“This moment is ours. For two years, we were apart. You were banned from school, but you never stopped dreaming. You believed in me even when we were worlds away,” Bidaki said. “Now you are here and your strength, your courage and your life inspire me every day. I carry your dreams with me always, and together we will keep moving forward.”

South High Principal Jeffrey Creamer, himself a graduate of the school (Class of 1989), said that Bidaki had requested to speak during graduation and presented school staff with a speech he had prepared.

“Mohammad emailed me with a request to speak. After reading his speech and talking with him I decided that it was a story that should be shared,” Creamer told the Telegram & Gazette. “I then decided that I would give up my time during the ceremony so Mohammad could share his amazing journey. 

At the ceremony, Creamer told the audience that it was fitting for the words of commencement to come from the student body.

“I’m reminded that this evening is about celebrating your unique voices and journeys, and while I could speak for hours about your incredible achievements, I believe the most profound words tonight should come from one of your own,” Creamer said. “It is with immense pride and admiration that I yield my time to a student that has written who has written a truly touching and inspiring speech.”

Bidaki closed his remarks by saying that he hopes his fellow classmates will use their voice to lift others up and provide opportunities for others to learn.

“The freedom to learn is a gift, and one that not everyone gets. I want you to feel the responsibility that comes with that gift. Show the power of education, stand up for it, defend it when it’s under threat, be the reason that somebody else gets the chance to learn, because education is not just a privilege, it is a human right,” Bidaki said. “Every child, no matter where they are born, deserves the chance to learn, to dream and to build a better world.”

Bidaki was followed in his speech by Mayor Joseph Petty, who praised Bidaki for his words.

“Mohammad, thank your for sharing your journey to Worcester, you are living the American dream,” Petty said. “I’m proud that Worcester was one of the first cities to take people from Afghanistan, and I wish the best for you and your future.”