11th annual “Pride of Our Nation… Pride of Our College” exhibition opens Saturday, Nov. 12

November 9, 2022

20-year-old refugee will speak about escaping Afghanistan in summer of 2021.

Masseh Ullah Yousofzai, a 20-year-old refugee who narrowly escaped Afghanistan with his family when the Taliban regained control in the summer of 2021, will speak about this harrowing experience during the opening reception for the 11th annual Pride of Our Nation... Pride of Our College exhibit at Hudson Valley Community College on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Marvin Library Learning Commons on the Troy campus.

Yousofzai and his family were targeted by the rising Taliban, because his brother* had been a translator for the U.S. military and his father was a government official. Masseh was about to begin his senior year at Ghalib University when the family was forced to flee the country. More than 750,000 left Afghanistan in this exodus.

Pride of Our Nation... Pride of Our College is an ever-changing collection of photographs and memorabilia of veterans and active military service members with a connection to the college. Begun with just a handful of photographs, the exhibit now includes more than 100 images and keepsakes, both official “military issue” and personal. Current students and employees submit photos and loan objects -- ranging from dog tags and medals to historic documents and full uniforms -- that pertain to the military career of a relative or themselves. Alice Malavasic, a professor in the Education and Social Sciences Department, organized the first exhibit in 2010. She describes the exhibit as a collaborative effort by the entire campus -- students, faculty and staff.

The opening reception and subsequent exhibit viewing hours are open free to the public.

When/Where: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, Marvin Library Learning Commons, Hudson Valley Community College, 80 Vandenburgh Ave. (Rt. 4), Troy

• The program will begin at 1:15 p.m., followed by refreshments and a celebratory cake cutting (c. 2 p.m.) and continued viewing of the exhibition until 4 p.m.
• The exhibition is on view through Friday, Dec. 16.

Hours in the Marvin Library are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. The library will be closed Nov. 23-26.

*Omaid Yousofzai, Masseh’s brother, served as a translator and cultural advisor to U.S. Special Forces in the northern provinces of Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007. After coming to the U.S., he earned an Associate of Science degree in computer information systems at Hudson Valley Community College.