Ferozan Alamshahi Akbari, Immigration Analyst, Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, San Francisco, CA

Ferozan Alamshahi Akbari arrived at the San Francisco International Airport in 1984 as a refugee. She stepped off the airplane, escaping persecution in Afghanistan with her husband, four small children ranging from five months to six years old, and four bags containing clothes for the children. She was overwhelmed with happiness to make it to the United States after seven long months in a Pakistani refugee camp, and describes the day she stepped foot on U.S. soil as the happiest day of her life.

Mrs. Akbari and her husband both worked hard to provide a better life for their children. She began working at a doctor’s office and a local bank while her husband studied and completed his engineering license. Mrs. Akbari became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1995 and joined the legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service in 2001. She began her career in data entry and now serves as an Immigration Analyst for the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In 2012, she was recognized as FDNS Analyst of the Year.