April 10, 2024
Rama Youssef
Submitted by Rama Youssef
I became a refugee 10 years ago when my mom and I fled Syria during the Syrian civil war. We decided to leave Damascus after a car bomb went off near my middle school. I was in class when suddenly there were explosions that shattered the windows. I still remember the burst of air pressure from the explosions and the screaming and crying of my classmates. My mother decided that if I was to have a future, I needed to leave the country. My dad stayed behind while we traveled to the United States. We arrived first in San Diego, where one of my three older sisters lived, and then to Oregon, where I enrolled in a Catholic high school that offered a generous scholarship. My mom was forced to leave the U.S. I’ve been on my own since then. In high school, while my classmates talked about the colleges they wanted to attend, I didn’t think that would ever be an option, because of the cost. As a foreign student, the lack of access to federal funding and student loans because of my immigration status made college seem an impossibility. But I thought that there might be a chance at a private college, and then Cal Lutheran accepted me with the offer of a full-tuition scholarship with collaboration with Books Not Bombs Organization. Cal Lutheran opened many doors for me. I’ve learned so much, made lifelong friends, and became involved in many extracurricular activities. While I entered thinking that I might want a career in a medical field such as dentistry, I soon changed my focus to political science. This year, as I prepare to graduate in the spring, I’ve organized a series of internationally-focused events in the dorm in which I am the senior Resident Assistant at. And this spring, I’m organizing a day of global cultural and educational activities for the entire campus for Arab Heritage Month. My time at Cal Lutheran could not have happened without scholarships, and I’m grateful for that. While I would like to pursue a law degree eventually, one thing I’ve learned in my life is that nothing is guaranteed except for the obstacles that one must overcome to succeed.