From Refugee to PhD: Hourie Tafech

Lebanon

Lebanon is officially known as “the Republic of Lebanon or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies to its west across the Mediterranean Sea; its location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has contributed to its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious diversity. It is part of the Levant region of the Middle East. Lebanon is home to roughly six million people and covers an area of 10,452 square kilometers (4,036 sq mi), making it the second smallest country in continental Asia. The official language of the state is Arabic, while French is also formally recognized; the Lebanese dialect of Arabic is used alongside Modern Standard Arabic throughout the country.” Wikipedia

Palestinian Refugee Camp in Lebanon

This camp has been in existence since 1948. Hourie Tafech was born and raised as a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon and spent over 20 years in the refugee camp. A 3rd generation refugee, she obtained her primary, secondary, and undergraduate degree. While in many countries, especially in the Western hemisphere, this is a seamless transition without many hurdles, accomplishing these academic milestones was not without challenges.

On a daily basis, growing up in a refugee camp, she was reminded she was a refugee.  Going to and from the camp she had to show her ID.  She didn’t enjoy living there or felt like she belonged. Her family didn’t have to live in the camp, but like many other refugee families, they couldn’t afford to live outside the camp. Within the camp, it was very insecure - physical and armed clashes, Lebanese vs refugees and Palestinians vs Palestinians. The Lebanese government was also not responsible for their safety. It was a harsh reality for a young girl and for the many refugee children who lived in that environment.

School…To Go or Not to Go?

Schooling was essential, but still not of a high quality.  She attended United Nation’s school at the primary and secondary level.  Although refugees have the option to attend high school, professional careers remained out of reach. Therefore, many refugees think attending secondary or high schools is pointless.  why? There were refugee engineers and refugee doctors selling vegetables to make a living in her camp. Hourie’s brother was discouraged by this and dropped out of high school at the age of 15.  However, Hourie reasoned that if she did her part, by pursuing her education as far as she could, if things didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying; it wouldn’t be her fault and she wouldn’t feel guilty.

 Big Dreams, Limited Resources

When Hourie finished high school, her father suggested she attend the UN’s vocational school to become a teacher, but she didn’t want to become a teacher.  Hourie wanted to be an architect and study at the American Lebanese University, but that far exceeded her father’s budget. Her father, also born in the refugee camp, repaired shoes to make a living.  Someone suggested she pursue interior design, but when she researched it, she felt she would be the assistant to the architect, and she didn’t want that either.  

 The Power of Dreaming | The Strength of Family

One night, she dreamt she received a scholarship, but lost it because she didn’t have an application. When she awoke she decided she will apply. After some research, she decided to pursue Graphic Design and because of her dream, also applied for a scholarship.  When it was time to start the program, she hadn’t received a response about her scholarship application. This program was also not within her family’s budget.  Her mom, however, realized how discouraged she was becoming, so along with her family members, they decided to support her during her first year.   At the end of the first year, she finally received feedback about her scholarship application, and thankfully, Hourie was successful.  The scholarship repaid her for the first year, she repaid her family, and she was able to successfully complete her first degree in 3 years.

 Pushing Against the Barriers

Like many new graduates, it was difficult for Hourie to get a job after graduation. Her father was also very protective of her. As a refugee there were always problems that needed to be navigated and as a young woman and a Palestinian, it can be especially difficult. The refugee status continued to challenge her advancement and even how she would think about what was possible and what was not.  Not to be daunted, Hourie moved to Malta, got married and pursued an Advanced Diploma in Marketing at the Malta College of Arts, Sciences & Technology (MCAST). Malta is a small country nestled in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. After chatting with Hourie and googling it, it has been added to my list of places to visit.

Malta

Malta is officially known as “the Republic of Malta and is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily (Italy), 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya.. The official languages are Maltese and English, and 66% of the current Maltese population is at least conversational in the Italian language.” Wikipedia

 Spark 15

In 2015, Hourie co-founded Spark 15, a refugee led organization in Malta. It was founded to get more refugees in Malta educated and into the job market. Tertiary education was free at MCAST, yet out of 11000 students at the Malta college, only 11 were refugees. She and the team engaged UNHCR to discuss some of the common challenges refugees face - education, work and documentation. They discussed how to help young refugees attend Malta university and how to become more employable in the job market. They soon realized that many refugees didn’t have enough money to pay the 1200 euros for preparation courses to take the admission exam. Therefore, Spark15 published an article in the Times of Malta describing the problem. A professor from the university reached out expressing interest and asking how she could help. 

The professor helped Spark15 put together a program to offer free exam fees and entrance preparation classes. They got people to volunteer two hours per week to help refugees prepare for the exam; they helped raise money from the private sector and they provided computer literacy classes. They also planned soccer and other sporting events that would bring citizens of the host country and refugees together to support integration and refugees’ skill building in Malta.

 A Life Changing Invitation

As part of her work with Spark15, Hourie met the Dean of the Graduate School of Rutgers University. He was working on Refugee Migration, and he invited her over to the US. In April 2017, she visited the university to present on the work of Spark15 and about her work with the EU.  After, he suggested Hourie apply for a scholarship or fellowship to do her PhD at Rutgers. He thought she would be a good candidate. A friend helped her prepare her personal statement and Hourie was able to get recommendations from the President of Malta and the US Ambassador to Malta which helped a lot in securing the scholarship.

 PhD Global Affairs

Hourie started the Master’s program at Rutgers in 2017 and graduated in 2022 with a PhD in Global Affairs - Refugee and Migration Studies.  Her thesis focused on ‘Refugee Economic Inclusion and Entrepreneurship in US Cities’. As part of her research, she traveled to 4 cities with different refugee resettlement sizes - Salt Lake City, UT; Houston, TX; Utica, NY and St. Louis, MO.  She interviewed 33 refugees as well as resettlement organizations, agencies and nonprofits focusing on what factors impact refugee businesses. To learn more about her research findings you can listen to the podcast.

Hourie is currently a Program Manager at the University Alliance for Refugees and at-Risk Migrants, a Postdoctoral Fellow and Adjunct Professor at Guilford College, NC and continues to advocate for refugees around the world.

 Don’t Give Up!

While this may sound cliché, Hourie admonition to other refugees and immigrants is ‘don’t give up.’  The refugee status has the power to limit how you think, what you can do and where you can work.  However, at the same time, she believes some struggles can be overcome, so don’t give up when there are setbacks or let the refugee status define you.  Her goal was to get her family out of the refugee camp and out of poverty and she did that.  She is currently helping her brother go to university; he is attending medical school in Cuba.

 Pay It Forward

Hourie also encourages other refugees, like herself, to give back to the community and pass on the opportunity to other refugees. “Only a refugee can fully empathize with someone who has had the refugee experience”. She realized from her own experiences that whatever you go through makes you who you are today. Those experiences give you the ability to empathize and help others without getting anything in return. She believes the struggles are meant to build personality, character and power that can be passed on to others. Therefore, it shouldn’t stop at you. It is obvious, from her story, that an investment in one refugee is an investment into a family and by extension a whole community. She said most refugees don’t think only about themselves, but whatever they do, she admonishes refugees, like herself, to think about the thousands and even millions who didn’t get the opportunity they were fortunate to receive.

Listen

To listen to the full conversation with Hourie, click here. 

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