I graduated from the University of Damascus, Department of Arabic Language, in 1994, and I continued my postgraduate studies in literary criticism until 1996. I worked as an Arabic language teacher in Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and wrote about political articles in several Arab newspapers. I came to the United States more than four years ago and I have worked here as substitute teacher with Individual Dedicated to Excellence and Achievement (IDEA) Public Schools and intend to stay here for the rest of my life. I believe in the saying of the great poet Mahmoud Darwish (All people's hearts are my nationality).