Nadeen Kharputly
Nadeen Kharputly is the Special Features Editor of Shenandoah and a former educator, writer, and immigrant living in rural Virginia.
Posts
Shenandoah Interviews State Senator Ghazala Hashmi
In 2019, Ghazala Hashmi, a former English professor, became the first ever Muslim and Indian American State Senator in Virginia. In another historic feat, she won the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor in June 2025 and will appear on the ballot for the statewide election this coming November. Shenandoah’s Special Features Editor, Nadeen Kharputly, sat down with Senator Hashmi for a conversation about her early life, her career in education, her transition to a political career, and how literature has shaped her life—and her desire to make life better for her constituents.