Axana Soltan, 2025 Eisenhower Global Scholar
Master in Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford
Remarks at the 2026 Trustees Lunch
May 13, 2026
Bellevue Hotel, Philadelphia
Good afternoon, everyone. It is truly a privilege and an honor to be here with you all, and to represent our extraordinary community of Eisenhower Global Scholars.
Like many of our scholars here, my story with this program begins with a very special phone call from George.
I remember that day quite vividly. I received a missed call, and within seconds, I ran outside barefoot to call him back. When George shared the good news and said, “Congratulations, you’ve been selected,” I remember feeling completely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.
And almost instinctively, before I could fully process the moment for myself, the very first thing I said was:
“May I please call my mother and share this good news with her?” I remember saying that because, deep down, I knew this moment did not belong to me alone. It belonged to a dream my mother and I had been building quietly and patiently for many years.
I came to the United States as a young refugee from Afghanistan, alongside my mother.
When I arrived, I did not speak a word of English. As a first-generation, I had no roadmap for how to navigate the system or build the future I hoped to create for both of us.
But what I did have was a quiet determination — and my mother’s belief in me — that if I worked hard, remained disciplined, and kept faith, then perhaps one day, I could build a life greater than the one we had left behind in war-torn Afghanistan.
So I gave everything I had to that belief. I graduated from university at the top of my class with honors, while dedicating myself to public service. Alongside my studies, I found an organization focused on expanding access to education for girls in underserved communities — work that, over the years, has gone on to impact thousands of girls globally.
My commitment to service eventually led me to law school, where I became deeply devoted to advocating for women and girls affected by systemic injustice and conflict.
And after years of hard work, sacrifice, and discipline, I applied to my dream school: the University of Oxford.
That dream became real through the support of the Eisenhower Global Scholars program. I am deeply grateful to this program not only for the opportunity it gave me, but for recognizing the journey behind it — the resilience, discipline, perseverance, and vision that carried me there.
Today, I am a human rights lawyer working at the intersection of law and policy to advance accountability and legal protection for women and girls. And while I am deeply proud of how far this journey has brought me, I also feel strongly that my work is only beginning.
So my hope today is not only to thank all of you, but also to continue learning from the extraordinary leaders like each one of you in this room.
To George, to the Eisenhower community, on behalf of ESG scholars, thank you so much for believing in us.
I promise to carry this experience, and the responsibility that comes with it, with me for the rest of my life.
Thank you very much.