Hi, I’m Ndeen Al-Barqawi (she/her), a Middle Eastern writer and poet. That was me at 5 years old in Zarqa, Jordan, sitting on the most middle eatern couch ever. At the time, like most brown kids, I thought I’d grow up to be 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.

And don’t worry, I convinced my aunt to sell that aweful couch.