In February we welcomed three guest speakers from Syria. Shahed, a 20-year old woman born and raised in Aleppo, Syria. Amer, a 23-year old man born and raised in Damascus, the capital of Syria. Khawlah, a 30-year old woman also from Damascus and a former teacher.

Here is some of what they shared:

Khawlah-

-She showed photos of her former students and spoke about their hopes and dreams.

-She has a sister in Sacramento, but is separated from the rest of her family.

-She currently works at Wells Fargo.

I’m so grateful that the United States offered me a safe place to stay. I had to leave everything because I was afraid for my life. I can sleep at night here, I feel safe.

Amer-

-He attended private school, took the SAT’s, his family owned businesses, then everything was lost because of the war.

-He peacefully protested against the government and was jailed and blacklisted.

-He is without family in the United States. His father is in Saudi Arabia, his mother is in England, and the rest of his family is still in Syria.

-He arrived in the United States only 5 months ago.

I came here for a better future for me. I’m just like any one of you guys. 

Shahed-

-She currently attends college at UC-Berkeley.

-Her family is still in Syria.

When I was in Syria there was no electricity, no water, I couldn’t study. I hope you appreciate your education here.

Below is a 5-minute video of Amer speaking about his experience:

Special thanks to Hamlin parent Thip Ark, who arranged for the speakers to visit.