Classical student bringing message of peace to conference

LYNN – Yosra Girdia won’t be studying history at Classical High School today – she will be teaching it as a guest speaker participating in a New York City conference focused on the plight of women in Girdia’s native Sudan.Only 18 years old and a former refugee, Girdia said she knows first-hand about oppression of women in Darfur, a section of Sudan torn apart by war.”Women must walk behind the men there, but in this country women walk side by side,” she said.Her mother, Maryam Hamed, and father, Adam Abaher, brought Girdia and her seven siblings from an Egyptian refugee camp to the United States in January 2013 with the help of an assistance organization.Violence forced the family to leave their home and Girdia recalled her father and one of her brothers standing guard at night while rest of the family slept.They live on Orchard Street in Lynn, and Yosra has mastered the English language and developed a love for history during her 22 months in the U.S. One of her five brothers, Abitalib, is a standout soccer player.”There’s something very special about her. She comes into the classroom smiling every day and she helps the other kids,” Classical teacher Kathy Lovett said.English Language Learning department head Amanda Curtis said the conference is hosted by an organization with which Girdia’s father has a connection. He is attending the conference with his daughter.Curtis said Girdia will talk about her belief that women, if treated equally, can bring peace to the world. “She is proud of the way her father treats her mother and her brothers treat her,” Curtis said.Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].