All week the talk has been about Maria Toorpakai Wazir, a Pakistani squash player. She
was coming to Charleston, sponsored by Chucktown Squash, to share her incredible story of
growing up in Pakistan, learning to play squash, and escaping the Taliban to live in Canada and
pursue the sport, her passion. She described herself as a tomboy, and in order to play squash, she
had to disguise herself as a boy, shaved head, boy’s clothes, and one earring. Her childhood was
spent in South Waziristan, home of the Taliban, which has often been dubbed, “the most
dangerous place in the world.” Women were not allowed to attend schools, health care facilities
and were married off at an early age. She owes a lot to her parents, she said, who were very
supportive, being advocates of women’s rights, education, and equality (very rare for the society
she was raised in). When her true gender was revealed, she and her family began to receive
threats from the Taliban. Safety precautions included changing the license plate on their car
continuously, carrying a concealed weapon for her protection, being escorted by government
security, and moving to various towns. At the worst point, she was forced to go into hiding and
became depressed. Then, despite her fear, she picked up a racket and began training in her
bedroom; her brother and she sneaked out at night to play at an abandoned court in the area as
well. One day, Jonathan Power, a Canadian squash legend, invited Maria to come to Toronto
where he could coach her. Their goal is to make Maria a world champion, against all odds, and
prove that women and girls can succeed at anything they put their mind to. On November 12th,
she ate lunch with a group of Upper School students, including myself, at Ashley Hall. I was so
honored to have gotten to sit next to and talk to such an inspiring figure. She was very humble
and shared her story as if we were family. Brave, tough, and stubborn are the three adjectives I
would use to characterize Maria. She hopes that through her success she can encourage girls to
chase their dreams in spite of suppression, and believes that through the empowerment of
women, society will be bettered. After her moving speech, I realized how fortunate I am to go to
Ashley Hall, an environment that pushes and wants girls to excel. I have no doubt that Maria
Toorpakai Wazir’s tenacity will promote change in women’s rights globally so that everyone
will have equal opportunity to succeed.
was coming to Charleston, sponsored by Chucktown Squash, to share her incredible story of
growing up in Pakistan, learning to play squash, and escaping the Taliban to live in Canada and
pursue the sport, her passion. She described herself as a tomboy, and in order to play squash, she
had to disguise herself as a boy, shaved head, boy’s clothes, and one earring. Her childhood was
spent in South Waziristan, home of the Taliban, which has often been dubbed, “the most
dangerous place in the world.” Women were not allowed to attend schools, health care facilities
and were married off at an early age. She owes a lot to her parents, she said, who were very
supportive, being advocates of women’s rights, education, and equality (very rare for the society
she was raised in). When her true gender was revealed, she and her family began to receive
threats from the Taliban. Safety precautions included changing the license plate on their car
continuously, carrying a concealed weapon for her protection, being escorted by government
security, and moving to various towns. At the worst point, she was forced to go into hiding and
became depressed. Then, despite her fear, she picked up a racket and began training in her
bedroom; her brother and she sneaked out at night to play at an abandoned court in the area as
well. One day, Jonathan Power, a Canadian squash legend, invited Maria to come to Toronto
where he could coach her. Their goal is to make Maria a world champion, against all odds, and
prove that women and girls can succeed at anything they put their mind to. On November 12th,
she ate lunch with a group of Upper School students, including myself, at Ashley Hall. I was so
honored to have gotten to sit next to and talk to such an inspiring figure. She was very humble
and shared her story as if we were family. Brave, tough, and stubborn are the three adjectives I
would use to characterize Maria. She hopes that through her success she can encourage girls to
chase their dreams in spite of suppression, and believes that through the empowerment of
women, society will be bettered. After her moving speech, I realized how fortunate I am to go to
Ashley Hall, an environment that pushes and wants girls to excel. I have no doubt that Maria
Toorpakai Wazir’s tenacity will promote change in women’s rights globally so that everyone
will have equal opportunity to succeed.
