Background

I was born in Baghdad, Iraq. My family fled the war, spent time in Syria as refugees, and were eventually sponsored to come to the United States. We earned citizenship a few years in. I have lived in El Cajon, California since I was around four years old, which means El Cajon basically raised me, for better or worse.

I am Chaldean, part of an ancient community that traces back to Mesopotamian times. We speak Chaldean, a dialect related to the language Jesus spoke. Growing up split between Middle Eastern culture at home and American culture everywhere else is a funny thing. You learn to code-switch before you even know that word exists. It builds adaptability, cultural sensitivity, and a genuine ability to connect with people who come from very different places than you.

My parents had an arranged marriage; starting off strong trying to assimilate, right?. My dad was an electrical engineer. My mom, restarted her education from scratch in the USA, and came out the other side with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from SDSU after nearly a decade of classes. I am the youngest of four brothers: Alen, Andrew, Evan, and then me, which means I had front row seats to everything before I even got started. Now it is time to see what I can make of myself given that privilege.

The Chaldean experience is rooted in survival and reinvention. Ancestors fled persecution, rebuilt lives in countries where they did not speak the language, and passed down a work ethic that does not really have an off switch. That history shapes how I see things. When my family's story involves losing everything and starting over more than once, complaining about hard problems feels a little off.

Being first-generation means figuring out systems that were not built with you in mind, often by trial and a fair amount of error. No family connections in corporate America, no inherited safety net, no one to call who has been there before. What that builds is resourcefulness, a deep appreciation for mentorship, and a very high tolerance for ambiguity.

This background is not a sob story. It is actually a pretty good one. It creates hunger, adaptability, and a refusal to settle for less than what you are capable of.

I like figuring out how things actually work and then making them work better. That usually means looking at where things are not as efficient as they could be, where things fall through the cracks, and working to fix all of that. Not because it sounds impressive, but because watching a messy process get clean is genuinely satisfying. Knowing I had a part in it? Even better.

Working with Kids

I work with kids in a coach and chaperone role. Within 14 months I moved into a lead position, which came with a promotion and a lot more responsibility than I expected. Kids are surprisingly good at calling out anything that does not add up, so you learn fast to just be straight with them. Being able to speak four languages helps more than I thought it would. A kid who barely speaks English lights up when you say something in Arabic or Spanish. Language breaks barriers that would otherwise take months to get past, and when you are trying to be a role model to kids from a dozen different backgrounds, that matters a lot.

Languages

Language is more than communication. It is access to a completely different way of thinking. Each one opens a door to specific communities, real conversations, and context that you simply cannot get any other way.