Your name is part of your identity, part of who you are, and how you first introduce yourself.  When I first spoke to Husam, he introduced himself as Sam, and when I asked him why he changed his name he said: “I started going by Sam back in 2019, mainly...

To me, home will always be where I was born: Palmyra, Homs, the ancient city whose stories date back generations before me.  I might’ve only been 11 years old when I left Palmyra, but I still carry my own stories from the place I was born and the place where...

During Ramadan of 2012, Musa and his family packed their belongings and fled their small village in Idlib in search of a safer place. At that point, they were one of the last families to leave.  As a seven-year-old with little control over his destiny, Musa certainly couldn’t fulfill his...

Yasmeen’s Journey began in 2015 when she stepped on the bus to Turkey. Since the start of the Syrian conflict, life in Syria started becoming difficult and dangerous, especially in Idlib. So she decided to follow her brother to Turkey and study pharmacy. She applied for many scholarships, and she...

At age 15 Mahmud left Syria with his two older brothers, sister, and parents. They went in pursuit of safety and a better future, leaving behind everything they had already lost. Yemen was their first stop. His dad had worked at the Yemeni Embassy in Syria, so it was safe...

In 2012, Anwar lost her mother to shelling in Baba Amr in Homs, which forced her to flee to another city with her siblings and her father. In October of 2013, as he was leaving Nabek, a city in Syria, Anwar’s father was arrested and was never found to this...

The youngest of three boys, Yousef al Yousef left Aleppo, Syria at the age of 15 in 2015 following his older brothers in pursuit of safety and a better future.  Yousef applied to Karam’s scholarship program to pursue a degree in Quantum Computing. “When I put my mind into something,...

Leaving home at 10 years old, Bayan doesn’t have much memory of her house in Idlib. All she remembers is packing her bags with her five siblings and parents, and heading to Reyhanli, Turkey.  Their first stop was a refugee camp she can’t remember the name of. It could be...

One day, as Asil was browsing through the channels of her TV,  she decided she wanted to become an actress in a movie. Little did she know that a few weeks later she would receive a phone call asking her to be featured in a documentary film — a film...

My name is Fawaz, and I am from Idlib, Syria. I was only ten years old when I left Syria with my parents and  siblings. I will never forgive the war that took not just my home, but my father’s ability to hear and walk.   I am the oldest of...

Batoul’s infatuation with the sky started at a very young age, “I remember the first time I visited my grandpa’s village and stargazed. The houses were far apart, and the sky was so clear. One night, we decided to go on the roof, and I immediately fell in love with...

At the end of 2012, Abdelsalam left Syria with his family, leaving behind his home and a handful of memories. His destination? Jordan. Although tough and extremely challenging, the journey to Jordan was the easiest part of the move. He experienced a huge culture shock — his classmates bullied him...

My name is Ferhad Muhammad. I’m 31 years old and I’m originally from Aleppo, Syria. I received my Bachelor's degree in Turkish Literature from Gaziantep University.  I am where I am today thanks to the scholarship offered by Karam. The opportunity encouraged me to continue my education and plan my...

My story starts 2 years ago. I was nominated to be an international student in Cadiz Universidad in Spain, so I applied and got accepted. As any young man, I was excited to see the world and start exploring and get out of my comfort zone. But because I was...

In an effort to fit into the new society that they now must call home, many refugees take extra steps to prove themselves to the natives of the adopted country. They start by mastering the language, engaging with the community, and focus on giving back.  Wael Ajlouni left his hometown...