In this episode of Coming to America, the host talks with Esraa Alkhateeb, an immigrant from Amman, Jordan, who moved to the U.S. three years ago and studies biochemistry and molecular biology at Lewis & Clark College. Esraa shares what it was like growing up in Jordan, a safe country amid regional conflict, and how financial constraints led her to seek scholarships. At 16, she left home to attend a United World Colleges campus in Mostar, Bosnia, completing the IB program and gaining an international community and a new learning style beyond memorization. She then came to the U.S. on the Shelby Davis Scholarship, choosing Lewis & Clark for its small size and access to research. Esraa reflects on cultural differences in relationships, loneliness abroad, and what she loves about Portland—nature, diversity, and great food—then encourages young people to pursue opportunities and ignore “you can’t” answers.

Kjell van Zoen, use they/he pronouns, from the Netherlands and England, came here in 2004. For money, Kjell work as an organizational development and change management coach, and has passion for making and playing music.

GEOFF CRAIGHEAD is, in every sense, a global citizen. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, he studied at the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University, while also playing Australian rules football with the South Melbourne Football Club. His early career carried him to North Australia, where he worked among indigenous communities, and later to Hong Kong, where he lived alongside former triad members and recovering heroin addicts, while serving in the Hong Kong & Kowloon Wharf Police.

Geoff eventually settled in the United States with his wife, Sarah, and went on to build a distinguished professional career. He directed field training for Allied Universal, North America’s largest security contractor; served as president of ASIS International, the world’s foremost organization for security management professionals; authored authoritative reference works on skyscraper security and the 19th-century gold rush; and addressed audiences worldwide as a professional speaker.

https://www.geoffcraighead.com/