Hamna Zafar: marriage in Pakistan or pursue American Air Force dream.
Hamna Zafar made a risky decision in 2022 and joined the US Air Force, where she is currently a Security Defender.
The immigrant mother of a Maryland native had always been the submissive daughter, but her plans were derailed when her parents abruptly insisted on an arranged marriage.
In 2019, Zafar learned it was actually her engagement party while on an apparently routine family vacation to Pakistan.
Astonished by the disclosure and coerced into a marriage she didn’t want, Hamna Zafar struggled with the cultural conflict between her goals and her parents’ customs.
Zafar, not willing to give up her independence, devised a bold plan of escape, first lodging with a Navy recruiter and then finding comfort with the family of a college friend.
Zafar’s mother, Claudia Barrera, welcomed her into her home and gave her the encouragement she needed to finish her associate’s degree.
But the shift wasn’t without its difficulties. Zafar had to adjust to a new culture while in training, one in which she was the only person who had never been yelled at.
The small and modest Air Force enlistee considers her experience and stresses the significance of defying social norms.
Zafar’s tale is one of tenacity, defiance, and pursuing personal goals in the face of social and cultural constraints.
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