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December Alumni Spotlight: Mohamad Issa Jamal

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By Mohamad Issa Jamal (YES 2007-2008, Lebanon, placed with Ayusa in Bandera, TX)

13 years ago, I took off to the cowboy capital of the world, Bandera, Texas. To say I was nervous is an understatement; I was afraid of being rejected by the community in Bandera, my home for the next ten months. It turned out in a way I never anticipated—after I built up the courage to introduce myself, my country, and my culture to them, the locals actually liked me and took me in. The thing that resonated with me most about my experience was the ideal of "inclusion." We, as a community, are made up of different types of people— as the Arabic proverb says, "Not all your fingers are the same." 

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Mohamad with some camp participants

While on exchange, I was lucky that my host mom worked with institutions that give back to the community. The Boys and Girls Club of America and The Arc of San Antonio were the reasons I decided to become a changemaker wherever I was located. When I came back home to Lebanon, I worked on many projects that worked towards a more inclusive community. I started with institutions for people with disabilities. We would volunteer there and interact with the beneficiaries in different cities in Lebanon, like Tripoli, Awkar, and Beirut. 

However, when the Syrian war started and refugees started coming into Lebanon, I witnessed a lot of discrimination against Syrian refugees, which brought back flashbacks of all the fears of rejection and discrimination that I had felt as a newcomer in Texas.

This inspired me to tackle the issue in my local community. During Ramadan in 2013, I decided to start a camp for Syrians and Lebanese children with lots of activities to help them build various skills, like communication, leadership, and artistic abilities. However, our most important aim was to build everlasting relationships between the participants and break stereotypes held by the two groups. 

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The first few days of camp

We started with 27 participants, but within a week, 101 kids were attending. The camp was meant to span over the month of Ramadan, but due to its huge success and great reception, we extended the camp for another month. The camp ended with a closing ceremony to celebrate the participants. We held a fair displaying all the artwork students did and invited their parents. The students performed a play and other sketches. Among all my projects, this is  the one that touched me the most because I feel that bringing people together and breaking stereotypes is a cause worth fighting for. 

When I went back to my host community and high school in 2018, after my exchange year, one of my teachers said to me, "Thank you so much for all the wonderful things you have done for Bandera High School. The impact you had on us remained long after you left. It is because of you that people are more accepting and loving to new people that come to Bandera, whether they are exchange students or people from outside of the town." Those words were the confirmation that my mission as a YES student and ambassador was fulfilled. 

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Campers and staff

I’m in my eighth year as a teacher, and my goal is to keep inspiring new generations to be global ambassadors. On a personal note, this year I launched my own fashion brand, Madzy Fashion (available on Facebook and Instagram). I had to fight to make this dream come true, so I'm really proud of my brand. My experience with the YES program taught me that you can be the changemaker in your community, that you should never give up on yourself, and that you should work hard to make your dreams reality.


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