Currently: Hala is in her third year of university studies in Turkey. She’s finishing her BA in Psychology and hopes to continue on to a Master’s in Clinical Psychology to become a licensed therapist.

From the classroom to the community hall: For a school project, Hala conducted research on violence against women in the Arab community–a taboo subject. She was so troubled by what she learned that she bravely took action. She invited women from her town to come together to speak about their experiences. She feared no one would come–that the unspoken taboo would keep them silent. But this 17-year old girl did it: 100 women showed up to speak and be in solidarity with each other. This is what knowledge, plus confidence, plus a belief in a better future can do! 

Curious about the world: She looks forward to traveling and working in new places around the world, and since she’s fluent in four languages (Arabic, English, Hebrew, and Turkish) she can go far!

So much learning at GHIS: Growing up in a town that didn’t have much diversity, where people lived peacefully and coexisted with each other, meant that GHIS was a big change. She learned to speak up and not be afraid of speaking her mind, even if it meant getting into heated conversations.

Roommates bringing the world: Her roommates (from other conflict zones) opened her eyes to what people outside of the local area experience: “there are so many conflicts, so many wars, it’s so crappy in so many places, but we can work it out.” This gave her a new perspective on how Arabs and Jews in Israel are dealing with their situation.

Growing in so many ways: For the first two months at GHIS, she wanted to go home. There was so much to adjust to and everything was hard (living on her own for the first time and the challenging IB program), especially compared to how easy it was at home. But her teachers and the staff–everyone–made her feel welcome and that it was worth it to fight to stay. The GHIS environment ended up being the catalyst for her development. She said, “you learn a lot about yourself in these situations. You see that you have more in you than you realized.” 

Summing up 2 years at GHIS: “It was a unique experience that will teach everyone about themselves and about where they are in life. It pushes you into reality.”