2014 was a “separating year” in my life due to the death of my father from a fire in our house and then, not two months later, my older brother, Tawfiq Marafiqah, was assassinated. These two events were enough to turn my life upside down.

I then left Benghazi, my hometown since birth, and where I grew up for 16 years, and moved to Tripoli to live with my mother and brothers where I started my last year of high school.

I am 23 years old and a graduate of the Faculty of Mass Communication (Journalism Division).

My brother Tawfiq was a civil society activist with a bright mind and a strong voice. He fought to share his message and did not remain silent about the truth. This is the reason I chose the media field at university: because I have a message that I want to convey to the world.

It was difficult to adjust. I felt lonely and different, at first, since my transition coincided with the war in Tripoli. This severely affected me and I could not continue with my life while listening to my friends talk about displacement and death.

However, I was able to overcome all of that when I passed the first step toward my dream in 2016: the entrance exam to the Faculty of Media at the University of Tripoli.

I spent four years inside the walls of the college. I lived in beautiful and painful situations at the same time. I made friends and met colleagues and professors with whom I spent the best days of my university life. Here I am today, in Benghazi, after returning with my family and earning a degree in media with a graduation project that was praised by my teachers (a short film titled The Passionate One). This was only the beginning as I intend to continue developing by working on several other films. I am currently working on an idea for a radio program titled Flash of Light (Wamda Nour). My other goals this year are to start sharing educational content on YouTube and, as a step toward my future ambition, work as a reporter and presenter on an Arab news channel.

Through my experience, I have learned that obstacles cannot hinder our capacity to achieve our dream when we are determined! Life, with its problems and trials, will turn us into warriors as long as we do not give in to them.