Murtaza is charting a future in which everyone can receive an education regardless of their birthplace. 

After graduating from high school, Murtaza Ahmadi looked to continue his studies at university. However, escalating political instability in his home country of Afghanistan made this dream unsafe and nearly impossible. When the Taliban seized control in 2021, Murtaza, an advocate for progress, was no longer safe. He fled to the U.S. to seek political asylum, alone and unsure of what would happen next. For three years, he was unable to enroll in school. Still, he refused to give up his goal of attaining higher education. In August 2022, he took his first steps back into academia, and by fall 2024, he transferred to the University of Michigan to pursue a bachelor’s degree in information analysis.

Now a senior at U-M, Murtaza combines his academic work in data analytics and entrepreneurship with hands-on research and community building. He is a research assistant on the School of Information’s Community Tech Workers Project, helping to bridge the digital divide for underserved communities. Murtaza also co-founded the Rasa Foundation to support Afghan students — especially young women — through digital literacy and mentorship programs. In Ann Arbor, he supports refugee communities by organizing events and educational workshops in partnership with local organizations.

As a member of the highly competitive 2025 Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, Murtaza is focusing on building an innovative tech startup while continuing to explore solutions that support displaced learners. His long-term goal is to use data analytics, entrepreneurship, and digital tools to rebuild pathways to education and employment for others forced to start over, just as he once had to. Identified by one of his professors as a “visionary leader,” Murtaza is charting a future in which everyone can receive an education regardless of their birthplace.

CEW+ is proud to support Muratza’s vision of education for all and names him an Irma M. Wyman Scholar.