when I was 20 years old I was forced to
flee my homeland with some change of
clothes and only 270 dollars in my shoe
I left my home my family my friends and
I entered unknown I started my journey
it wasn’t always like that in 2011 I was
a wanted man the government militia has
seized my city snipers were everywhere
the bomber had been caught and all we
could hear outside of the rain there was
no communication or any way of phone
service munitions exploded overhead as
we – from building to another building
trying to avoid the checkpoints along
the way because we knew if we got caught
the best outcome would have been
assassination killing you on spot all of
this just because I had participated in
pro-democracy protests against a proto
dictator called Bashar al-assad let me
tell you this checkpoints in Syria are
the worst kind of nightmare for everyone
it doesn’t matter if you are a kid a
woman or an old man they will search you
they would ask you for your ID and if
you’re lucky enough the older you go but
if you’re less fortunate which is often
they will take you to a place where you
will never see the light again think of
it like a plane a Russian roll it where
the outcome is and death what torture in
a dark room under the ground my home
Syria is very rich in its culture it is
known as the cradle of civilization
and it has at least six historic sites
they listed on the UNESCO Heritage List
it is a very diverse place as well with
different races different religions all
living together peacefully I grew up in
my home with my parents one sister and
three brothers I remember playing
outside with my friends playing soccer
and I still remember the smell of my mom
cooking Amjad Duran falafel it is a
beautiful country but when I said the
father came to power there was always
that feeling the knowledge they are not
free you are simply a resource at the
government’s disposal and you’re living
under a dictator who will use everything
from torture to terrorism to control his
own population and believe me I know in
all police states there’s always that
darkness that looms over everything it
reminds you that the walls have ears and
in Syria there was no different it is a
wonderful place until it’s not and it
was a beautiful place until it was not
and I guess death will lead the
population to the rising many of you
probably know the story by now after
almost eight years of war how everything
started in Tunisia in North Africa and
how people stood up for freedom and
democracy and then after a few months
the revolution spread to Egypt and then
to us in Syria you know for almost 40
years
we were living under pressure everything
is being monitored by the regime it
makes you feel that big brother is
watching you and honestly people were
the younger generations decided we had
enough of Assad’s dictatorship and
corruption we didn’t want the walls to
have ears so we went down to the streets
and armed naive but we were hopeful and
a chanting for a new beginning we never
thought that our own army that we bid
for is going to be our our enemy and the
darkness that’s looming over everything
became anything but a quiet after I
escaped Syria I tried many places to
settle down
I kept to traveling the Middle East
country by country trying to find a new
place that I can call home after a few
months I had a sudden on Jordan and in
Jordan I was safe and secure but there
was no work for me and I couldn’t afford
to go back to school I knew ultimately
the bath I was on offered me no future
and it gave me a hope you see I really
wanted to go back to school I had been
studying Computer Engineering back home
before the war started I really wanted
to live like any young person on this
planet with dreams of future they
include the individual family friends I
mean for work I wanted to believe that
despite my circumstances I still might
have the chance to change the world and
so from my room I started emailing as
many schools as I could not only in
Jordan but all of the neighboring
countries as well and a few more I was a
brain for one opportunity but I got no
response until from one from what I
consider to be the most unlikely of
places here in Florida there was that
small Catholic school they responded
they listen to me and they hurt my story
they open their hearts and minds to me
sale Leo University offered me a Muslim
exile with bad reputation for causing
trouble at least you had said according
to I said on some media a ticket to get
out of the chaos in the Middle East this
Catholic school believed in me and
offered me a full scholarship and a
remember my first day in the States like
it was yesterday
my flight landed in Miami International
at 1:13 p.m. I was alone I had no one
waiting for me
and I had no idea where to go but as I
looked around I feel the greatness and
myself wow what a moment I felt bees
inside me I’m finally in a place where I
can see myself having a future and I
knew this is the right place to be my
first meal was at Chipotle and with a
broken English I ordered tacos I had
never eaten cactus before because we
don’t have it in the Middle East but it
was very tasty and delicious I still
remember the taste the restaurant was
full of people of all races different
backgrounds different cultures and
tribes from all over the world and they
all sharing this in new country that
they are now called home the history of
the United States is very short one but
it is filled with stories of people like
me people in struggle fighting their
dictators in search of freedom the King
of England for example we all grow up
thinking that home would be where we are
born but sometimes time to change
and sometimes we feel strangers in our
own lands today like so many others
before me I feel blessed to have a new
home a home that’s many miles away from
where I was born and I really I really
miss being part of a family but it is a
home that embraces the freedom I could
never have their freedom of speech
diverse society and endless
opportunities you see from my experience
as a refugee who traveled multiple
places trying to find a new home where I
can start a new life I believe home
isn’t just where your heart is home is
where you can feel safe and respected
home is where you can have dignity and
right home means freedom from fear and
oppression it means having choices home
is where you can have hope and future
and for me home is the American dream
thank you [Applause]
flee my homeland with some change of
clothes and only 270 dollars in my shoe
I left my home my family my friends and
I entered unknown I started my journey
it wasn’t always like that in 2011 I was
a wanted man the government militia has
seized my city snipers were everywhere
the bomber had been caught and all we
could hear outside of the rain there was
no communication or any way of phone
service munitions exploded overhead as
we – from building to another building
trying to avoid the checkpoints along
the way because we knew if we got caught
the best outcome would have been
assassination killing you on spot all of
this just because I had participated in
pro-democracy protests against a proto
dictator called Bashar al-assad let me
tell you this checkpoints in Syria are
the worst kind of nightmare for everyone
it doesn’t matter if you are a kid a
woman or an old man they will search you
they would ask you for your ID and if
you’re lucky enough the older you go but
if you’re less fortunate which is often
they will take you to a place where you
will never see the light again think of
it like a plane a Russian roll it where
the outcome is and death what torture in
a dark room under the ground my home
Syria is very rich in its culture it is
known as the cradle of civilization
and it has at least six historic sites
they listed on the UNESCO Heritage List
it is a very diverse place as well with
different races different religions all
living together peacefully I grew up in
my home with my parents one sister and
three brothers I remember playing
outside with my friends playing soccer
and I still remember the smell of my mom
cooking Amjad Duran falafel it is a
beautiful country but when I said the
father came to power there was always
that feeling the knowledge they are not
free you are simply a resource at the
government’s disposal and you’re living
under a dictator who will use everything
from torture to terrorism to control his
own population and believe me I know in
all police states there’s always that
darkness that looms over everything it
reminds you that the walls have ears and
in Syria there was no different it is a
wonderful place until it’s not and it
was a beautiful place until it was not
and I guess death will lead the
population to the rising many of you
probably know the story by now after
almost eight years of war how everything
started in Tunisia in North Africa and
how people stood up for freedom and
democracy and then after a few months
the revolution spread to Egypt and then
to us in Syria you know for almost 40
years
we were living under pressure everything
is being monitored by the regime it
makes you feel that big brother is
watching you and honestly people were
the younger generations decided we had
enough of Assad’s dictatorship and
corruption we didn’t want the walls to
have ears so we went down to the streets
and armed naive but we were hopeful and
a chanting for a new beginning we never
thought that our own army that we bid
for is going to be our our enemy and the
darkness that’s looming over everything
became anything but a quiet after I
escaped Syria I tried many places to
settle down
I kept to traveling the Middle East
country by country trying to find a new
place that I can call home after a few
months I had a sudden on Jordan and in
Jordan I was safe and secure but there
was no work for me and I couldn’t afford
to go back to school I knew ultimately
the bath I was on offered me no future
and it gave me a hope you see I really
wanted to go back to school I had been
studying Computer Engineering back home
before the war started I really wanted
to live like any young person on this
planet with dreams of future they
include the individual family friends I
mean for work I wanted to believe that
despite my circumstances I still might
have the chance to change the world and
so from my room I started emailing as
many schools as I could not only in
Jordan but all of the neighboring
countries as well and a few more I was a
brain for one opportunity but I got no
response until from one from what I
consider to be the most unlikely of
places here in Florida there was that
small Catholic school they responded
they listen to me and they hurt my story
they open their hearts and minds to me
sale Leo University offered me a Muslim
exile with bad reputation for causing
trouble at least you had said according
to I said on some media a ticket to get
out of the chaos in the Middle East this
Catholic school believed in me and
offered me a full scholarship and a
remember my first day in the States like
it was yesterday
my flight landed in Miami International
at 1:13 p.m. I was alone I had no one
waiting for me
and I had no idea where to go but as I
looked around I feel the greatness and
myself wow what a moment I felt bees
inside me I’m finally in a place where I
can see myself having a future and I
knew this is the right place to be my
first meal was at Chipotle and with a
broken English I ordered tacos I had
never eaten cactus before because we
don’t have it in the Middle East but it
was very tasty and delicious I still
remember the taste the restaurant was
full of people of all races different
backgrounds different cultures and
tribes from all over the world and they
all sharing this in new country that
they are now called home the history of
the United States is very short one but
it is filled with stories of people like
me people in struggle fighting their
dictators in search of freedom the King
of England for example we all grow up
thinking that home would be where we are
born but sometimes time to change
and sometimes we feel strangers in our
own lands today like so many others
before me I feel blessed to have a new
home a home that’s many miles away from
where I was born and I really I really
miss being part of a family but it is a
home that embraces the freedom I could
never have their freedom of speech
diverse society and endless
opportunities you see from my experience
as a refugee who traveled multiple
places trying to find a new home where I
can start a new life I believe home
isn’t just where your heart is home is
where you can feel safe and respected
home is where you can have dignity and
right home means freedom from fear and
oppression it means having choices home
is where you can have hope and future
and for me home is the American dream
thank you [Applause]
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