FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:Steve Vehorn Phone: (804) 523-5229 E-Mail: svehorn@reynolds.edu
AFGHAN REFUGEE, REYNOLDS ALUM TO LEAD BOOK DISCUSSION
RICHMOND, Va (April 11, 2006) - Afghan refugee and now U.S. citizen Dr. Shahwali Arezo will led the fourth session of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s 2005-2006 “Around The World Through Books” discussion series on Thursday, April 20. The JSRCC alum will talk about his real-life experiences and compare and contrast them with Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner.
Early on, Arezo led a very peaceful life. His simple childhood of homework, playing marbles, flying kites and taking trips to his family’s farm in Shamali turned upside down when his father was arrested and later killed after refusing to join the Communist Party.
During the discussion, Arezo will discuss how his family had to sell everything to hire a person to smuggle them into Pakistan and India before eventually arriving in Richmond, Virginia in 1984. During the book discussion, Arezo will reflect on his educational journey, first obtaining his GED and then attending JSRCC before going on to Virginia Commonwealth University and the Eastern Virginia Medical School where he obtained a degree in Medicine. The current Virginia Beach resident pursued a fellowship in gastroenterology and since completing it in 2001, has been in private practice as a gastroenterologist.
The program will feature a multicultural dance performance after the book discussion. The event is a free public forum that will be held on the Parham Road Campus in Building B – Room 101 (The Gallery) from 7-8:30 p.m.
