Amir and Athena, a couple I met through a friend, are from Iran and are students at SIUE. Even though they are in their 30s, they gave up their home in Iran for freedom in America. The people of SIUE have embraced them, and have made the transition much more manageable. Athena is in the engineering program and looks to be a chemical engineer. Amir is in the sculpture program, and with his and his family’s connection to construction and sculpture, he has thrived at SIUE. I was a total stranger to them and yet was welcomed into their home. They are some of the most personable and genuine people I have met. Leaving your home and your life, moving to a foreign land in search of better opportunities is much easier when you bring love. I can tell, even though I’ve seen but a snapshot of their lives, Amir and Athena are a great couple. Athena remarked, “There is no home without Amir.” A home is often a person; it doesn’t matter where they are and what they gave up. If they are together, then they are home
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