Her Story
About Henna
My jewelry brand was inspired by my life experiences and my grandmother's incredible story. I grew up in Afghanistan in a male-dominated village where my grandmother was the only woman who spoke up for her rights and for other women. She loved jewelry, and villagers would bring her precious stones they found, which she would design and wear proudly. Her jewelry was a symbol of her strength and the respect she commanded. In 2015, I was one of five students in my province to receive a scholarship from the U.S. Embassy to study at the American University of Afghanistan in the capital. My parents took a stand for me against our relatives to allow me to study at an American school. I earned my bachelor's in Political Science and Public Administration with a minor in law, and served as vice president of the Political Science Club. My mother and I also established Nargis Radio in 2007, the first radio station for women in Nangarhar, Afghanistan. After we started, other women joined because it became normalized. For the past five years, I worked in project management for various nonprofits, but I decided to start something of my own. My jewelry brand tells stories of resilience and strength, with my first collection inspired by my grandmother's designs. Every piece I create has a story to tell, and I handle all aspects from design to quality checks to branding myself. My brand uses 21 karat gold and pure gemstones, and profits from sales go to scholarships for women at the American University of Afghanistan, which now offers online classes since schools are banned under Taliban rule. I also serve as vice president of the Gila Foundation, which my mother and I founded to focus on women's empowerment through literacy classes, carpet weaving, journalism training, and advocacy courses.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Henna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I definitely attribute my success to my family and where I am right now. My grandmother, my mother, and my parents have given so many sacrifices that I'm able to speak up and have the opportunities I have today. It's their light that I'm carrying. Where I am right now motivates me, and I feel more responsible to do something better. I see potential in every woman out there, and I feel like every other girl deserves to have the opportunity that I have. That keeps me motivated - knowing that I can do something for other women and work on women empowerment. I will always carry their light for the new generation and make sure that what I do makes some impact on society.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
For me, the best career advice I've ever received was to never give up and always listen to your inner self. If you want to do something, even if you fear it, remember that the fear is only because you haven't done it yet. Even if you fail, always try again and try again, because you always learn from your failures. Never give up on your dreams. I know what I have started needs a lot of patience and there are going to be failures, but I'm sure that I will learn from them. Even if you fall, you always have a chance to stand. I'm so glad that I have been through so much, because it shaped me to the person I am right now. I can now connect with a lot of people and understand them because of what I've experienced. Even if you fail, it means something - you tried, and that usually gets you one step closer to that eventual success.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
It's a beautiful industry, and it's challenging, but I think when you are passionate about something, you will never give up. So if you have the passion and you love it, go for it. There will be failures, there will be a lot of competition, but I'm sure that after every failure, you will learn and succeed. Being patient is so important in this career. The competition is real and it's challenging to stand out, especially when it's your first time starting to work in this field, but if you stay passionate and patient, you can make it through.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest obstacle is that it's a very competitive career and industry. It's definitely challenging, especially when it's your first time starting to work in this field, to be able to stand out. As for opportunities, I see very few brands that actually work on storytelling and women empowerment the way my brand does. My brand has the goal that whenever I make any sales, the profit goes to the American University of Afghanistan that I studied at. I'm working in collaboration with them so that the sales profit will go to scholarships they provide for women in Afghanistan who can study through their online system, since right now schools are banned for women. Meanwhile, the product we provide is 21 karat gold and pure gemstones. I think those are the positive sides of my brand, but at the same time, it's challenging to stand out because it's such a competitive industry.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think the first thing would be always staying authentic to yourself and connected to your roots. Whatever I do, wherever I go, I will always never forget where I have come from and what I have learned from my parents, because it's their light that I'm carrying. My grandmother, my mother - I know that they have given so many sacrifices that I'm able to speak up right now. So I will definitely carry that light for the new generation, and I will definitely do things that can make it easier for the next generation of women from my country to be able to speak up and have a good life and live as equal to men. I will never forget that, and I will always speak up and make sure that if I'm doing something for myself, at least it's making some impact on society. That's the message that I will always carry for myself in my career.
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