Hi, I’m Ndeen (she/her). This is me at 5 years old, a Muslim Palestinian sitting on the most Arab couch ever in Zarqa, Jordan. At the time, I thought I’d grow up to be straight and a doctor. Oops.

After moving to the U.S. in elementary school, one of my teachers told me I would never learn English fluently. In true Arab fashion, I took that so personally that I decided to make a career out of it. First, as a published poet who toured the country at institutions like Vassar, UPenn, and Harvard—and ranked in the top five slam poets worldwide. Now, as a copywriter, where I intend to use my voice to break barriers and create work that’s impossible for people like my elementary school teacher to ignore.

I spend my time writing poetry, eating bagels, and perfecting phase two of taking down those who doubted me. And don’t worry, I finally convinced my aunt to sell that butt-ugly couch.