The Gem City is a long way from Peshawar. Over 7,000 miles in fact. That hasn’t stopped Senior Academic Advisor Rukhi Jan from building a successful life in Dayton. Since first arriving as a teenager from Pakistan, she’s built up quite the repertoire of skills and titles. In the last few years she’s added activism to that longlist and is ready to raise awareness on her birth nation’s plight at any time.
She spoke to The Clarion after delivering a presentation on Pakistan. Jan was more than happy to share her story. It began, as great adventures do, with a strange twist of fate.
“I came as a young bride at the age of 17. It was an arranged marriage and my husband, who was also Pakistani, had already lived here for six years. He was recruited as a medical student because there was a shortage of physicians in the country as a result of the Vietnam War,” she said.
The proposal, when it came, was a surprise for the then 15-year-old. It would be the first of many on the path that led her where she is today.
“It came as a total surprise. My Mom was not expecting someone to ask for my hand at that age. I wasn’t even thinking about who my life partner would be at that point. All my cousins usually finished their bachelor’s before getting married and I was the youngest in my family.”
Her mother said no twice before eventually giving in. A 2 year engagement later and she would be halfway across the world and further from home than she ever imagined being.
“We stopped in New York first. Our flight to Dayton was delayed till the next day, so we had our first meal stateside at a hotel. I’ll never forget, it was chicken pot pie and iced tea,” Jan said.
I told my husband I’m going back to school. I’m going to be something and at least I’ll be able to say I graduated.
Rukhi Jan
Everything was different from Pakistan, some in ways that were profoundly frightening. Before she knew it, her husband’s fellowship under Dr. Schuster in Kettering was up and he now needed to find a job, manage multiple loans, and build a new life.
“For the first three months I was learning a new language, new roadways, and adjusting to this new man in my life while wondering where our next meal would come from. Then I became pregnant and a day later my husband was hit in an accident that almost killed him,” she said.
Jan remembers walking miles to the hospital, shaking her husbands coats to find change to buy groceries with, and how, one day, there was nothing to be found no matter how many pockets she checked.
“Then when he was released I got sick and gave birth prematurely. The child was fine but I had to remain in the hospital for a month,” she said.
Looking back, Jan recalls a lot of painful memories from her first years as an immigrant in Ohio. She cites a faith as her strongest support during those tough times.
“When you’re an immigrant, alone, and have no support system who do you trust? God. Your faith is it. My faith became much stronger. Over time I also developed friendships. Through word of mouth I picked up a few friends and they were my guiding angels for awhile,” said Jan.
There were multiple pregnancies and unfortunately, multiple stillbirths and miscarriages. She recalls the time being like a whirlwind.
“After having my second child, my daughter in my mid-twenties, my doctor said my kidneys would fail if I tried again so I needed to stop. No more attempts at having kids. I was done by then anyway and focused on raising my two children for awhile,” she said.
Jan got her first part-time job as a CardioTech at London Medical Hospital. Soon, Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio beckoned and Jan seized the opportunity. Her husband had just one caveat.
“I told my husband I’m going back to school. I’m going to be something and at least I’ll be able to say I graduated from school. He told me as long as the house is maintained the same I could do it. I said ‘ok, challenge accepted.’”
By her mid-thirties she’d earned a bachelor’s and was a full-time master’s student. A fateful visit to Sinclair during the final year of her program would lead her to become a Tartan for life.
“We came here for a seminar and during a break I began wandering around Building 12. I started walking up and eventually came to what was then the Career Center. I just walked in, asked if they took interns, and left with my position secured,” said Jan.
She eventually finished her degree as a Career Tech at Sinclair and would eventually begin teaching courses similar to SCC1101. Jan has been a mainstay downtown ever since. Such a wealth of opportunities has allowed her to raise awareness about the ongoing turmoil in Pakistan and why it matters to the American public.
In 2022, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power following a vote of no confidence in parliament. He now languishes in jail after being convicted of multiple charges his supporters insist were cooked up by a corrupt judiciary.
Jan is one of many supporters of Khan that is speaking out about her nation’s struggles. The number of allegations she and others have leveled against the powers-that-be in Pakistan are extensive, their content heartbreaking.
“I used to go every two years. In fact, I just returned after a 10-day trip there. Things haven’t been the same now that Imran is gone,” she said.
Since gaining independence, the nation’s political turmoil has seen multiple leaders assassinated, jailed, and wars in as well as out of its borders. It’s easy to see why conspiracies and allegations have taken hold of the nation. The latest one is known as Cablegate and blames Khan’s ouster on foreign powers including the United States.
“I want people to know that the average people of Pakistan are hardworking people that want a better life just like everyone else. They want foreign policymakers in America to truly engage them and not listen to runaway politicians and corrupt people,” Jan said.
She also had a message for international students hoping to achieve her level of success in and out of the workplace.
“If you find an internship, even if its not in your program, go for it even if it means being a volunteer. Get recommendation letters and let people be impressed with your work then doors will open. I was disturbed to hear about some international students resorting to plagiarism. That needs to be thrown out. Learn to do things the right way here, America has a lot of good to offer.”
Ismael David Mujahid, Executive Editor