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To hear Said Pasoon describe it, where he grew up was like paradise.

“Nangarhar is one of the greenest provinces in Afghanistan,” he said. “It has four seasons, tall mountains, freshwater rivers and is popular for its olive and sweet orange produce.”

His father, Said Ghafoorullah Pasoon, worked as a construction manager for a canal system that fed orange and olive farms, and his mother, Shamsi, was a teacher and later director of Farm Hada High School. When the Taliban took over the country in 1996, both were fired from their jobs.

Threats to their security, coupled with the lack of proper education and restriction of females from school, forced Pasoon’s parents to make the difficult decision to leave their home. They packed him up with his three brothers and three sisters and moved over the rugged Hindu Kush mountains into Peshawar, Pakistan, where they could continue to give their children the life they were accustomed to.

After U.S. and NATO troops took control of Afghanistan in 2002, Pasoon returned to his home country to attend Paktia University in Gardez and earn a medical degree. In the meantime, his older sister Naheeda married and moved to Atlanta. The rest of the family followed her to the safety of the U.S. in short time, but Pasoon’s visa was delayed because, unlike his other siblings, he was older than 21. Instead, he stayed behind and followed his dream of becoming a doctor.

After completing six years of medical school and one year of residency, he received his doctor of medicine degree in 2014, the equivalent of an MD in the U.S.

Pasoon served as a doctor of internal medicine focusing on infectious diseases at a government hospital, Central Polyclinic in Kabul, for more than two years.

After seven years of waiting, Pasoon was granted a visa to join his family in the U.S. in 2016.

“I chose the beautiful state of Georgia by luck,” he said. “My sister, Naheeda, lived in Georgia since 1996, and brought my parents here, followed by my siblings, so this is where I came when I finally got my visa. Georgia gives me internal happiness with its true green nature – it  reminds me of Nangarhar.”

Soon after he and his family were safely settled into their new home in Snellville, he realized that the knowledge and experience he had attained through years of dedicated work in Afghanistan did not all translate to the medical field in America.

“Many variations exist between the medical practice of Afghanistan and that of the United States,” he said. “In addition, language and cultural barriers added to my challenges. To function as a competent medical professional, I researched all possible options and eventually found my way to Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC).”

It was soon apparent that to continue practicing medicine, he would have to step out of the role of doctor and become a nurse. Pasoon entered GGC’s nursing program in January 2019. After a year of delays due to COVID-19, during which he lost his father to the virus, he is set to graduate with his first U.S. degree, a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

“My family has constantly supported me throughout this journey and has made it possible for me to achieve my goal,” he said. “Getting my nursing degree from Georgia Gwinnett College will allow me to become a culturally competent and caring nurse. I believe that if I can save one life, it's as if I have saved the whole of mankind.”

Pasoon and his wife, Behishta, have two children – ages 6 and 18 months. Behishta is currently training to become a medical assistant. They enjoy hiking and exploring all the beautiful places in Georgia, and plan to celebrate Pasoon’s graduation by visiting national parks in other states.

After receiving his degree, Pasoon plans to work as a registered nurse in the emergency department of Northside Hospital and complete six months of residency, working toward his long-term goal of earning a master’s degree in adult critical care. He also hopes to share his experience and knowledge with others as a teacher of human anatomy, physiology and pathology.