A Berkeley Haas MBA Vows To Keep His Wartime Promise

Lughmani during the Make Your Mark Awards. Photo © Tipping Point Photography

MAKING AN IMPACT

After transitioning from the army, Lughmani worked on Wall Street in institutional sales, and later as the chief of staff for his mentor, Brian Rathjen, at Roberts & Ryan Investments. However, he missed being in the trenches and having a direct impact on a mission. “I wanted to impact lives, even on Wall Street,” he says. “But it didn’t feel like I could do so, and I yearn for that. I decided to go to business school so that I could do something transformative and beneficial to society at large.”

He believes that good mentors were what made a difference in his life. “I really didn’t have any mentors in my life until I went to Afghanistan and was exposed to the military. The people I met there saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Any success that I’m able to achieve in my life is because of them. Those relationships I owe to Afghanistan.”

HOW AFGHANS TAUGHT HIM THE POWER OF HUMAN CONNECTION

Lughmani says that spending time in an active war zone led him to witness the absolute best and worst of mankind. Mostly, though, the experience taught him the power of human connection. “The hospitality in Afghanistan is like no other,” he says. “The elders treated me like their own son. The love they gave me… I’ve never felt that type of love anywhere else.”

As he helps to evacuate Afghans, again he’s been reminded of the power of their love. “These people have nothing but they have everything,” he says. “Here they are, running, scrambling for their lives, trying to stay alive. They have nothing, but when you speak to them and they send you photos with their families, trapped in a room in a safe house, you see the love that shines through — the love that they have for each other.”

‘MOMENTS OF KINDNESS SYMBOLIZE OUR SHARED HUMANITY’

Lughmani describes his love for the country as ‘profound’ — not just because of his ancestral ties to Afghanistan, but also for his experiences there. “We made tremendous progress in Afghanistan,” he explains. “Thousands and thousands of miles of roads have been built, as well as hospitals, clinics, and schools. Millions of children, including girls, were able to go to school. Afghans today have cell phones and access to the internet. We owe a lot of that to the U.S. military, standing side by side with allies to help build their society. You can’t experience something like that and not have it impact your heart,” he explains.

According to Lughmani, this war has taught him that we human beings are not very different from one another. “I always loved getting Americans and Afghans together to make bread,” he says. “That’s when I realized that the farm boy from Kansas isn’t too different from the villager from Kandahar. There are so many narratives that do so much to divide us.”

While the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has brought great loss and suffering for Afghans, it’s also prompted acts of compassion from around the world. “Amidst the crisis, these moments of kindness symbolize our shared humanity.”

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