Ebrahim Kayali is just one of many students whose lives are forever impacted by Emporia State University and Emporia.
Ebrahim is from war-torn Aleppo, Syria. In 2013, his two older brothers, Mohammad and Molham, came to Emporia State to study. Ebrahim joined his brothers in August of 2014, and he entered into the Computer Science program through the School of Business.
Ebrahim graduated in December 2016 and was accepted to the two-year Electrical Engineering master’s program at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He is receiving a scholarship for full tuition and fees. During his time at Emporia State, Ebrahim won the 2015 Founder’s Day Scholarship Essay contest with his essay “City of Science and Blood,” where he calls his home town a death city. He also finished second place in the 2016 Emporia Entrepreneur Challenge with his entry “Emporia IR Disabled Helper.”
His oldest brother, Molham, graduated in 2015, also with a Computer Science degree. Mohammad, the middle brother, graduated in May 2017 with a Biology degree.
Ebrahim is now living in Los Angeles with his brothers Molham and Mohammad and said he is excited to move forward with his life, but was sad to leave Emporia State University and the city that gave him his life back.
“This city was not only a place that I came to study, it gave us an opportunity to live our life,” says Ebrahim. “In Aleppo, there were snipers, bombing. It was like Hell. When we got admitted to ESU, it was a reason for us to come to the United States. It was a start to continue our dreams. We had lost everything. We also lost hope. When I came to ESU, it gave me life. My whole life, for me.”
As Ebrahim takes the next step in his life, he leaves Emporia and Emporia State University with a new-found hope. He looks forward to his graduate program, but will always be grateful for his new life he was given here, he said.
Emporia State University has been changing lives since 1863 — the story of three brothers from war-torn Syria is just one example.