When Mohamed was just 16, walking to a class he was taking in his small town, a group of boys approached him and pushed Mohamad to reveal where he was from. Innocently and proudly, he said he was from Syria, but the answer resulted in a brutal attack. The gang of boys surrounded him, ripped his headphones off, and began beating him mercilessly. Punches to his face, kicks to his back, stomps onto his chest— he was outnumbered and caught off guard. In broad daylight, people passed by, and no one stepped in to help.

He finally managed to stumble away and escape, but the attackers pulled him back in again. A series of more punches and kicks followed until a fellow Syrian on a motorcycle intervened and pulled him away. Shocked and confused, Mohamed somehow still continued on his way to get to his class. It wasn’t until his teacher saw him beaten and shaken that the reality of what had happened settled in. The teacher called his father, who then went to the police station to file a report. However, unable to speak Turkish properly, his father was mocked by the officers. Mohamed stood there, feeling powerless, as he watched his father struggle with the officers. Even now, three years later, there’s been no word from the police about his case.

The trauma of that attack stayed with Mohamed. He avoided the route where it happened, changing his walking path to school. He realized he developed a fear of being alone in public. The scars of the attack, both physical and emotional, ran deep. 

Then, in 2023, Mohamed found something that changed his life forever. He learned about Karam House, and it was there that he found a place not just to learn but to heal. The moment he stepped into the space, the atmosphere felt different. It was inviting, it was alive, and most importantly, it was safe. 

Karam House became a sanctuary for Mohamed. Here, he wasn’t a burden or an outsider. He was a creator, a learner, and part of a community. In studios, he discovered passions that reignited his love for learning, like music and robotics. One of his favorite experiences was building a simulated robot explorer designed for exploration. The project filled him with excitement and pride.

Karam House didn’t just teach Mohamed technical skills; it taught him resilience. He learned how to overcome setbacks and how to value the journey just as much as the destination. Mentors at Karam House helped him find direction and purpose, and they became the support system he so desperately needed.

With time, things in Mohamed’s life started to get better. While the racism towards him didn’t quite disappear, he learned to navigate it, realizing that attacks weren’t as easy for others to carry out against him now that he was older and wiser. 

Now, as a university student studying computer engineering, Mohamed looks to the future with optimism, and the lessons he learned at Karam House continue to guide him. Though the wounds of the past still linger, the hope he found at Karam House gives him strength to keep going.