Afshine Keshwani: A story of belonging and becoming

In the lead-up to the Class of 2025’s graduation from the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, we are featuring our six graduates who have been at the Academy since Grade 1.

Below, we learn about Afshine Keshwani and her transformative journey at the Academy over the past 12 years.

Curious, wide eyes, a bundle of nerves and weighed down by a backpack too big for her shoulders, such was Afshine Keshwani’s first step in the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad—a little girl, placed on a large campus that she believed was a realm of its own. “I saw so many unfamiliar faces,” Afshine said. “Even on my first day in the school, I was curious to explore every corner of the place and to find my people.” As her graduation approaches and she steps into her final chapter at the Academy, Afshine is prepared to leave as a confident, passionate and well-grounded young woman.

If the walls of the Academy could talk, they would tell the story of how a quiet, shy and sensitive girl turned into a confident and expressive leader. She became someone who didn’t always need to be loud to be heard but who grew steadily, cared deeply, worked hard and always tried to lift others along the way.

Afshine’s journey through the Academy has been marked not by a single breakthrough, but by a series of small, significant moments of ‘becoming’ that revealed her evolving self. Afshine recalls one such moment in Grade 5, when she was cast in a leading role in the school musical. The bright stage lights, the sea of audiences and the nerve-wracking vulnerability were the first of their kind for her. In the terrifying spotlight, it dawned on her that her lessons at the Academy go beyond academics. “That experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and showed me I could lead, perform and grow through creative expressions,” she said.

Throughout her school life, the Academy's libraries became her sanctuaries. Not merely spaces for study, they were places where friendships blossomed and laughter echoed softly between bookshelves. Afshine reflected, “More than just spaces with books, they became places where I grew, found my focus and built some of my closest friendships.”

Guided by compassionate mentors, who taught her how to reclaim her sense of self, Afshine learnt that strength can be soft, leadership can be quiet and kindness is a form of courage. She emerged not only academically accomplished but ethically rooted and emotionally aware.

Her transformation is a true reflection of the Academy’s values and principles to nurture young people who are intellectually curious, socially conscious and prepared to lead with empathy and purpose. Over the years, the values imbued themselves in her while she emerged as a reflective, compassionate and courageous individual.

Now, as she stands at the threshold of graduation, it isn’t just the achievements she carries with her—it’s the rhythm of belonging, the resilience honed through challenges and the belief that even quiet voices can leave lasting echoes.

And though the campus will miss her familiar presence, it sends her forward to the wide, open world, not as the shy girl who once arrived at the Academy when she was little, but as the woman she has chosen to become.

Interviewed by Ishita Gupta, Diploma Programme 1