A charter school in San Antonio, Compass Rose Dream, has quickly become a beacon of diversity, welcoming a significant number of Afghan refugee students since opening its doors. Nearly half of its 200 students are from the Afghan community residing in the Medical Center area. The campus is alive with cultural exchanges as traditional Afghan clothing colors the landscape, and multiple languages—English, Spanish, and Pashto—are spoken and learned, as reported by the San Antonio Report.
Ismail Ja Khosti, an Afghan who worked as a translator for the U.S. Army for a decade, found safety at the school after escaping the Taliban takeover. He told the San Antonio Report that there was "a direct threat to my life", leading to his decision to bring his daughters to America for safety and education. Compass Rose Dream became their educational sanctuary, especially since the Taliban had banned girls from attending school in Afghanistan.
In an effort to make the transition easier for its diverse student body, the school has begun integrating cultural lessons, including field trips and inviting successful Afghan women to speak with the students. This initiative aims to foster understanding and empowerment, particularly among girls learning to navigate a new educational system. Felipe Butanda, the school's founding principal, explained how they are focused on helping students grasp the "concept of participating in school and becoming professionals."
One poignant moment, as detailed by the principal, involved a girl who could not understand why Burke, Compass Rose's Chief of Schools and Butanda's supervisor, could possibly be his boss. This became a teaching moment—part of a broader goal of the school to break cultural barriers and "empower girls to strive for their dreams," Butanda said. Echoing this sentiment, Paul Morrissey, the CEO of Compass Rose, emphasized hiring staff like Khosti, who can bridge linguistic and cultural gaps to provide meaningful support for the refugee students.
The school, which has spread its roots across six different campuses, stands out for its diversity and efforts to create a blend of cultures and shared experiences. It has adjusted to cater to its new students—including having Halal options in the cafeteria and encouraging cultural learning among all students, like Reed's kindergartener son who brings home snippets of Pashto language and Bollywood dance moves. Reed believes this exposure is essential. "I'm raising children who are not just going to be children of Texas, they are children and citizens of the world," as stated by the San Antonio Report.
