As officials in Washington plan Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, a family in Mishawaka is reflecting on his impact.
Not many people can say a former United States president has been in their living room, repeatedly, just to take a break. But Nusrat Zahan can.
When Carter came to Mishawaka in 2018 to help Habitat for Humanity build the Fields at Highland neighborhood, Zahan’s home, the first, had already been finished. As with all their Carter Work Projects, Carter and First Lady Rosalynn, despite being in their 90s, were out swinging hammers like the other volunteers.
For five days the Carters stayed at a hotel at night but during the day, when they needed a break from the August heat, they stayed in Zahan’s home. Habitat had brought in some temporary furniture.
Zahan recalled how one day at lunch, Carter had been eating at a table near hers.
"And then he walked over to my table and he told me, 'Thank you for letting me stay in your house,'" she said with a chuckle. "That shows how humble he is."
The 50-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh feels enormous gratitude to Habitat for helping her realize her lifelong dream of owning a home.
"I really really love my house," she said. "It's just a small, tiny house but I have everything here. I have a sense of belonging. I have everything. I feel like I'm rooted, which I never felt in my whole life."
Zahan includes Carter in that gratitude. But the single mother also thanks him for something even bigger: the effect he’s had on her son, Nishorgo Proshun. Nishorgo was just 11 that summer, but like his mom, he was struck by Carter’s humility.
Nishorgo says after their first encounter, he felt as though he’d been talking with his grandfather or uncle instead of a former president.
"It felt like I had known him for most of my life when I met him for the first time," Nishorgo said. "That's the type of attitude he had."
As he’s grown up and learned more about Carter, his admiration for the former president has only grown.
"To me at least he represents the pinnacle of what a good leader should be. Like, he looks out for everybody he leads, regardless of social status or what they can give back to him."
As their home was being built in the summer of 2018, Habitat had asked Nishorgo to give a speech. His remarks impressed Mayor Dave Wood, who invited him to serve on his new youth advisory council. The youth council led a project to create a pocket park outside the new City Hall, and when they presented their work in Indianapolis, Nishorgo this time caught a state official’s eye. He was asked to serve on a youth advisory board for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
The group is working on ways to reduce homelessness and housing insecurity among young adults who’ve aged out of the foster care system. They’re looking at creating a shelter in Fort Wayne.
Nishorgo is a senior at Penn High School. He’s applying to colleges and wants to study electrical engineering, but Carter’s influence has him also thinking about the social implications of technology. For example, how artificial intelligence is and will continue to displace human workers, especially those with the least education and skills.
"President Carter has, I believe, pushed me a lot towards public service," Nishorgo said. "I'd like to go to a place that allows me to explore other paths like public policy because I feel like a lot of STEM majors need to understand the impact that their technologies have on marginalized groups."
Zahan says she’s eager to see what path her son takes, and she’ll always cherish his encounter with Habitat and Carter.
"That makes me so happy that one project and one idea from Mr. Carter, how it touched my son's heart," she said. "I've been so blessed that my son is trying to keep that lesson in his heart."
