Mohammed Alhamwi

Mohammed was 21 years old when his family was resettled from Syria to Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the only member of his family to speak any English, and his English was very limited. He came to the United States with his parents, three sisters, and grandmother in 2016 - the last Syrian refugee family accepted into Indiana prior to Indiana’s then-governor placing a ban on Syrian refugees coming into Indiana

Mohammed and his family have overcome huge obstacles since arriving in the U.S. The three adult children - who were all in their early 20s when they arrived - all re-earned their high school diplomas after enrolling in The Excel Center. (Indiana, like most states in the U.S., often doesn’t accept educational credentials achieved in other countries.). Mohammed and his sisters all then went on to earn medical assistant certificates. Mohammed then went on to earn his B.S. in nursing, graduating at the top of his class. He is now enrolled in a Master’s program for nursing with a goal of becoming a nurse practitioner. One of his sisters is now pursuing her Bachelor’s in nursing while the other continues working as a medical assistant. A fourth, younger sister, is a junior in high school with a goal of eventually entering medical school.

Mohammed’s family was the first family the originators of From Strangers to Neighbors served. He remains committed to the group and uses his first-hand immigrant experience to advise the Board as it considers appropriate vs over-reach forms of support. He also offers his skills as an Arabic interpreter to the Board’s volunteers, upon occasion, as needed.