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DESCRIPTION:
Don’t miss this incredible and vital conversation with Afghan human rights activist Crystal Bayat, who caught the world’s attention in August 2021 when she led a protest against the Taliban takeover.

She will be joined by Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini, who fled Syria in 2015 in a small dinghy full of refugees. When the boat’s engine died, Yusra jumped into the freezing water and proceeded to guide the boat to safety for over three hours.

In a powerful conversation moderated by social entrepreneur Hila Azadzoy, Bayat and Mardini will share their inspiring stories and discuss innovative ways to advocate for human rights internationally.

Bios:
Following her recent feature in The New York Times, which provided a global platform for her story of resilience in the face of danger, 24-year-old Crystal Bayat quickly become one of the faces of women’s protest against the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Bayat graduated from Daulat Ram College with a bachelor’s degree in political science and holds a master’s degree from the United Nations Institute in Delhi, but her PhD program was cut short due to the Taliban takeover.

Yusra Mardini is a Syrian refugee and Olympic swimmer. In 2015, she fled Damascus with her sister on a small dinghy headed towards Greece. However, when the motor failed, she and a few others jumped in the sea and swam three-and-a-half hours, saving the lives of twenty people. Her story of perseverance and determination captured the hearts of millions around the globe. She competed in the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team in 2016 and returned as one of the 29 refugee athletes at the Tokyo games in 2021.

Hila Azadzoy (moderator) is an experienced social entrepreneur who is dedicated to using the power of technology for social good. As part of Kiron Open Higher Education’s founding team, she focused on removing barriers for refugees to higher education through smart digital solutions. To date, Kiron has more than 10,000 students and operations in Germany, Jordan, and Lebanon. In 2018 she joined Ada as the Managing Director or Global Health, where she focuses on increasing access to healthcare for women and children in low- and middle-income countries by leveraging Artificial Intelligence. Azadzoy has been awarded with the Digital Female Leader Award and is an MIT Solver and a TedX Speaker.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Daniel Druhora and Anya Nutakki (USC Viterbi School of Engineering). Co-sponsored by the USC School of Cinematic Arts.