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Awista Ayub

Expert on Sports and Muslim Women

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Awista Ayub Biography

Awista Ayub is the founder of the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange (AYSE), an organization dedicated to nurturing Afghan girls through soccer and the author of However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls and A Journey Home (Hyperion). In 1981, when Ayub was only two years old, her family fled Afghanistan for the United States, where she flourished thanks to organized athletics - and where she vowed to make a difference in her home country some day. Soon after the fall of the Taliban, Ayub saw her chance: She founded the AYSE, an organization dedicated to nurturing, empowering, and teaching leadership to Afghan girls through soccer and sports. What began with eight young women has exploded into something of a phenomenon. Fifteen teams now compete in an organized league, with hundreds of girls participating through the Afghanistan Football Federation. Ayub has been featured in a number of national news publications and programs including ABC News - "Person of the Week", ESPN, Glamour Magazine, "Making Girls Strong Again" magazine - "Hero of the Month", CNN's American Morning, New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated.com, "A World of Difference: Soccer a Means for Social Change from Sea to Sea", Muslim Girl Magazine, "From Dreams to Destiny", the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, and Washingtonian Magazine, "Bend it Like Ayub". A sought after speaker, she has spoken at universities around the country sharing her inspiring message of the power of sports in building confidence and self-worth in young women of all nations.

Since Afghanistan's overthrow of the conservative Taliban government, many Afghan women have experienced a rebirth - striving for equality, education, freedom, and protection in a country that is deeply embedded with remnants of a culture of silence. Women like Ayub, 29, have played a significant part of the changing role of females in Afghan society today. By bringing soccer to young Afghan women, Ayub re-introduced the very traits the Taliban had cruelly stripped away from them - confidence and self-worth - on the very fields where the Taliban carried out executions.

In However Tall the Mountain Ayub details the journey of eight young Afghan women she brought to America to learn to play soccer. Throughout the story, she intertwines accounts of the girls' lives at home in Afghanistan, including their struggles with personal freedom and the consequences of the choices they make that conflict with Afghan culture. Under Taliban rule, these young women all grew up with strict limitations on their freedoms; they were forbidden from playing outside of their homes, not to mention participating in sports teams. The AYSE exchange program taught them not only to play soccer, but also to discover self-confidence and a sense of self-worth.

After bringing the girls to the States, Ayub subsequently traveled to Afghanistan to host a clinic there and hundreds of girls turned out to participate - and the numbers of players and teams keep growing. They even play at Ghazi Stadium in Kabul, which once served as the place where the Taliban carried out executions of women who violated even the most inconsequential laws. The country is not without current struggles and women's rights are far from protected. However Tall the Mountain gives hope to women finding courage and strength in one another and in themselves and reveals the ways in which youth culture in Afghanistan is challenging traditional gender roles and transforming the role of women in the Middle East.

From February 2005 to January 2007, Ayub served as the Education and Health Officer at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, DC. She was responsible for fostering relationships with organizations, schools, and individuals that work with education and health issues related to Afghanistan. She also founded the North East Women's Collegiate Hockey Association, serving as the league for the greater New England women's ice hockey teams.

Ayub received her Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from the University of Rochester in New York where she founded the Women's Ice Hockey team and played as the team goalie for three years. In addition, she was a Take Five Scholar in a tuition-free fifth year studying gender issues in science and engineering. She received her Masters in Public Administration with a focus in International Sports Development from the University of Delaware ('09).

Ayub recently traveled to Morocco for another program that offers women of the region an opportunity to participate in a similar life-changing experience.

However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls, and A Journey Home

   

The State of Women’s Rights in Afghanistan and Other Muslim Countries

   

Nurturing Muslim Girls Through Sports

   

Empowering Young Women Through Sports

   

U.S.-Afghanistan Relations and the Consequences of War on Young People

   

What It Means to be Afghan-American Post 9/11

Videos
Books
However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls, and a Journey Home

However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls, and a Journey Home

FAQs
  • HOW TO BOOK Awista Ayub?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Awista Ayub for both live and virtual events for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Awista Ayub, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Awista Ayub or any other celebrity of your choice.
  • HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BOOK Awista Ayub?

    Speaking fees for Awista Ayub, or any other keynote speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The amount that Awista Ayub charges to speak often varies according to the circumstances, including their schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Awista Ayub, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.
  • WHO IS THE AGENT FOR Awista Ayub?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Awista Ayub for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Awista Ayub for your next private or corporate function.
  • WHAT IS A FULL-SERVICE TALENT BOOKING AGENCY?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Awista Ayub or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Awista Ayub or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.
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This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

Expert on Sports and Muslim Women

Travels From:
Delaware, USA
Speaking Fee:

Awista Ayub Biography

Awista Ayub is the founder of the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange (AYSE), an organization dedicated to nurturing Afghan girls through soccer and the author of However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls and A Journey Home (Hyperion). In 1981, when Ayub was only two years old, her family fled Afghanistan for the United States, where she flourished thanks to organized athletics - and where she vowed to make a difference in her home country some day. Soon after the fall of the Taliban, Ayub saw her chance: She founded the AYSE, an organization dedicated to nurturing, empowering, and teaching leadership to Afghan girls through soccer and sports. What began with eight young women has exploded into something of a phenomenon. Fifteen teams now compete in an organized league, with hundreds of girls participating through the Afghanistan Football Federation. Ayub has been featured in a number of national news publications and programs including ABC News - "Person of the Week", ESPN, Glamour Magazine, "Making Girls Strong Again" magazine - "Hero of the Month", CNN's American Morning, New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated.com, "A World of Difference: Soccer a Means for Social Change from Sea to Sea", Muslim Girl Magazine, "From Dreams to Destiny", the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, and Washingtonian Magazine, "Bend it Like Ayub". A sought after speaker, she has spoken at universities around the country sharing her inspiring message of the power of sports in building confidence and self-worth in young women of all nations.

Since Afghanistan's overthrow of the conservative Taliban government, many Afghan women have experienced a rebirth - striving for equality, education, freedom, and protection in a country that is deeply embedded with remnants of a culture of silence. Women like Ayub, 29, have played a significant part of the changing role of females in Afghan society today. By bringing soccer to young Afghan women, Ayub re-introduced the very traits the Taliban had cruelly stripped away from them - confidence and self-worth - on the very fields where the Taliban carried out executions.

In However Tall the Mountain Ayub details the journey of eight young Afghan women she brought to America to learn to play soccer. Throughout the story, she intertwines accounts of the girls' lives at home in Afghanistan, including their struggles with personal freedom and the consequences of the choices they make that conflict with Afghan culture. Under Taliban rule, these young women all grew up with strict limitations on their freedoms; they were forbidden from playing outside of their homes, not to mention participating in sports teams. The AYSE exchange program taught them not only to play soccer, but also to discover self-confidence and a sense of self-worth.

After bringing the girls to the States, Ayub subsequently traveled to Afghanistan to host a clinic there and hundreds of girls turned out to participate - and the numbers of players and teams keep growing. They even play at Ghazi Stadium in Kabul, which once served as the place where the Taliban carried out executions of women who violated even the most inconsequential laws. The country is not without current struggles and women's rights are far from protected. However Tall the Mountain gives hope to women finding courage and strength in one another and in themselves and reveals the ways in which youth culture in Afghanistan is challenging traditional gender roles and transforming the role of women in the Middle East.

From February 2005 to January 2007, Ayub served as the Education and Health Officer at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, DC. She was responsible for fostering relationships with organizations, schools, and individuals that work with education and health issues related to Afghanistan. She also founded the North East Women's Collegiate Hockey Association, serving as the league for the greater New England women's ice hockey teams.

Ayub received her Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from the University of Rochester in New York where she founded the Women's Ice Hockey team and played as the team goalie for three years. In addition, she was a Take Five Scholar in a tuition-free fifth year studying gender issues in science and engineering. She received her Masters in Public Administration with a focus in International Sports Development from the University of Delaware ('09).

Ayub recently traveled to Morocco for another program that offers women of the region an opportunity to participate in a similar life-changing experience.

However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls, and A Journey Home

   

The State of Women’s Rights in Afghanistan and Other Muslim Countries

   

Nurturing Muslim Girls Through Sports

   

Empowering Young Women Through Sports

   

U.S.-Afghanistan Relations and the Consequences of War on Young People

   

What It Means to be Afghan-American Post 9/11

Awista Ayub Videos

  • Awista Ayub

Awista Ayub Books

FAQs on booking Awista Ayub

  • How to book Awista Ayub?

    Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Awista Ayub for both live and virtual events for over 20 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. Fill out a booking request form for Awista Ayub, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Awista Ayub or any other celebrity of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Awista Ayub?

    Speaking fees for Awista Ayub, or any other keynote speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The amount that Awista Ayub charges to speak often varies according to the circumstances, including their schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. The speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Awista Ayub, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.
  • Who is the agent for Awista Ayub?

    All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Awista Ayub for clients worldwide for more than 20 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Awista Ayub for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service talent booking agency?

    All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Awista Ayub or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Awista Ayub or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.

Awista Ayub is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Awista Ayub for your event is available upon request. Awista Ayub generally travels from DE, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Shirin Neshat, Erin Gruwell, Kristie Kennedy, Shiza Shahid and Nancy Nguyen Liles. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Awista Ayub for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Awista Ayub Speaker Videos

  • Awista Ayub

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Speakers Similar to Awista Ayub

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

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