Staff Spotlight | Shabib Luden

Shabib (pictured far left) with men he has supported in securing employment

Shabib Luden is an Employment Counselor with CRIS’ Match Grant Program.

“I moved to the United States from my home country of Afghanistan in 1992. I was eight years old, and I came with my mother and five siblings. My father stayed back to provide support for our family from afar. One of my great-uncles had settled in Columbus decades prior, so we already had family in town. 

Entering elementary school that year, I remember being bullied by others for being different. It took me about two years to feel proficient in English as I progressed through elementary school. I graduated from Centennial High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in history at The Ohio State University. At that time, my desire was to be a professor, and I served in such a role for a year after graduation. When the recession hit in 2008, I was laid off from this role. My uncle and I decided to open a family restaurant. We did that for nine years, learning the ins and outs of the business world and sharing Afghan cuisine with the community. 

Our restaurant shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I began wondering what might be next for me. Following the Afghan evacuation in 2021, there was a sudden increased need for support for the hundreds of Afghan arrivals. In November of that year, I was hired as an employment counselor with the CRIS Match Grant Program, which helps family leaders find employment and become self-sufficient. I realized when I started working in this position that I had already done similar work for years as a friend, neighbor, and community member. I love helping others. I hold in my mind a question that continues to motivate me, ‘What if I was in their shoes?’”