Photo Courtesy of Leah DeHaemer

“I used to come here [to America] for vacations, and back home [in Kuwait], I had this idea that I knew the United States due to the fact that I was a tourist for a couple of years. But I came here [for college], and everything I thought I knew went out the window because living in America is so much different. And not only did I come from a foreign country, which is Kuwait, I came from a British-system school, so academically [and] socially I was on the opposite end of the spectrum from Americans. So yeah, those are the major differences in class. … The first time I ever came to the United States was [to go to] New York City. I immediately had this spiritual connection. I don’t know why. I always say that I’m a New Yorker who does not live in New York. And when it came time to choose a college, I wanted Hofstra. I wanted somewhere in New York, and here I am. … We had this fair in our school [in Kuwait], and it was basically universities that the ministry of Kuwait would send students to through scholarship, and Hofstra was one of them. It just came across; I thought the name stood out. Certainly, the colors did – yellow and blue. I was like, ‘Okay, what is that?’ And I heard from someone that it was very good for communications, … and it’s in New York, ding ding ding! I’m a journalism major, so back in Kuwait or in the Middle East, actually, it is sort of the status quo to be a doctor, lawyer, et cetera, like a high-end profession. I was not really good at sciences nor was I good at math, therefore those occupations didn’t really fit in for me. So, at a certain point, I felt like I didn’t fit in, but [I] came across journalism, which was inspired [for me] through ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ I was six years old, I watched ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ for the first time, and there was a journalist. I said, ‘What is a journalist?’ I went online, and I found out about that, … and here I am, I am living through Andy Sachs from ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ So yeah, journalism was my niche, and I’m of a rare breed in Kuwait, because not a lot of liberal arts students come from Kuwait … And yeah, I’m considered odd … My mom was supportive, but … it’s never been done in the family, so she was scared … It is uncharted territory; not a lot of people take the step of being a journalist and being Kuwaiti, so there were several times [when] she said, ‘Are you sure this is the path you want to take?’ One of my teachers who’s also very close to me once said to me, ‘Just because your path is different doesn’t mean you’re lost.’ And I live by that, every single day. I have it hung in my room back in Kuwait.”