Westfield High School senior Sara Dustova began the school year with a different kind of summer behind her.

Dustova, 17, spent her summer focused on service. She traveled on a 21-hour flight to the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan to teach computer skills to girls, where she led workshops on coding and entrepreneurship, with a focus on independence in a country where opportunities for women are often out of reach.

“As a Tajik myself, I found my trip there to not only be academic, but also personal,” she stated in a release from the school. “When I was working with these girls, who were exact mirrors of me, it made my passion grow.”

Dustova is the founder and CEO of the Noor Nonprofit Corp. The organization is dedicated to empowering Tajik women through technology by providing access t

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