Country of Origin: Syria

Ayman and Ghena are two teenage siblings from Homs, Syria. In 2011, they felt their peaceful childhood disappear as they began to witness the destruction brought on by the Syrian Civil War.

One day, they were suddenly awakened by their grandfather. Dawn had just settled over Homs, and the city was beginning to wake up. Their grandfather told them that they were to leave the house immediately and relocate to the home of a family friend.  

The war had begun, and their area was under attack.

The family left the house expecting to return after a few days. Ayman recalls his mother leaving a coffee cup on the living room table. He made a mental note to clean it upon their expected return after four or five days.

It has been six years since they left the house and the coffee cup.

Six months after their neighborhood was targeted, the family relocated to Jordan and applied for refugee status. They were resettled to New Haven, Connecticut on September 17th, 2015.  

Last year, both received a full scholarship to attend a prestigious academy in USA.