Anyone who has met Aya will agree: she makes an impression. She is a whirlwind of passion, opinions, love, laughter, principle, and loyalty. I met Aya working in Gaziantep, Turkey, shortly after she had moved there from her native Aleppo in 2013...
Read MoreAizada is a super star, who overcomes challenges and achieves everything she sets out to do. I've known her since she was 13 and she walked into my 8th grade English class when I was a brand new teacher in her village in Jon-Aryk, Talas, in Kyrgyzstan...
Read MoreEsin is someone who cares deeply. She takes on the problems, burdens, crises, and heartbreaks of others, her countries, and the world, and she makes them her own...
Read MoreZineb is a go-getter with seemingly endless energy, passion, and initiative. One of my favorite exchanges with her involved her apologizing for being "too pushy and too persistent." She is indeed persistent, and is incredibly effective because of her drive...
Read MoreIf Sarah isn't a patriot, I'm not sure what a patriot is! Sarah was born in New York, and for over 10 years, she's worked on US-government programs overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, Syria/Turkey, and now Libya/Tunisia...
Read MoreAisulu means “beautiful moon” in Kyrgyz. She is the youngest child and only daughter of my host family when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan...
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