• Where are you from?/Where is your heritage from? What you do in the US:

I’m a New Yorker of Lebanese heritage. I work in tech operations heading Customer Experience.

• What do you love most about your country/heritage?

The emphasis on the family, the community, the collective. The belief that even in being your best individual, your best version will be the version that positively impacts those around you and society at large.

• Favorite food (and why? Did your Mum, Grandma, Dad make this? What does it remind you of?)

My mother’s shish barak holds a special place in my heart because it’s one of her proudest recipes.

• Stereotypes of Al-Sham you think need reversing?

I think one of the worst stereotypes is that the people of the Mashriq are doomed to hardship and division and that it’s always been that way. It’s especially bad since this stereotype treats the hardship and division as if they exist in a vacuum, lacking any historical context. This stereotype is also harmful because it ignores the major accomplishments of our people in and outside of the Mashriq, which are extensive yet don’t get the attention they deserve.

• An icon from al-Sham that everyone should know about and why?