A volunteer with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in Albany assists a student at a weekly job class in this 2016 photo.

Back in Afghanistan, I used to advise the U.S. Army to help soldiers find better and safer routes during patrols. What led me to the coveted position was my familiarity with the mountainous landscape. Before missions, Army officers often studied maps to understand the landscape. However, navigating in the real world was a struggle because soldiers had to stay constantly alert — like a nervous bird — watching for threats and avoiding enemy attacks that could lead to injury or death.

Also, during patrols, the U.S. Army lieutenants respected my advice on dealing with cultural and behavioral issues while roaming in the marketplace during the day or having an encounter at a checkpoint at night. Again, the only talent I had was familiarity with the culture.

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But in 2017, when I first arrived in Albany through an immigration program for people who helped the U.S. government in Afghanistan, I failed drastically to help myself in both.

I did not know the landscape and I did not know how to find solutions for issues. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as GPS. Several times, I got lost even though I was on the corner of........

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