“Someone Like You” is a thesis project that is directed towards 2nd and 3rd generation members of the global Arab diaspora who have struggled with their identities of being both American and Arab. The project aims to show that they are not alone in this struggle—that many members of the diaspora have successfully merged their two cultures. They are a resilient group of people who have helped made America what it is today and created new innovations. It hopes to inspire youth embrace their multifaceted identities.
The research and design of this publication was inspired by my own past of being part of the Arab diaspora who struggled with family pressures to be Egyptian but surrounded by friends who had a more Western mindset. This led to much confusion over my identity and which aspects of my identity I relate most to. In recent years, I have been able to find myself and understand that being in a diaspora is what made me unique. It meant that I pushed myself to help others who I knew had gone through similar experiences. This encouraged me to create a publication that would help them see that there is a whole community within the global Arab diaspora who have faced these issues and embraced their dual identities to create a new culture.
During my research to create this project, I found that there are many mental health issues among young people in the diaspora. This pushed me to help them connect to their culture and understand their own history, because I believe feeling part of a a community can help address some mental health issues. Creating a sense of community is extremely important, and I hoped the publication would be a step in doing so. I hope to inspire the youth of today to embrace their dual nationality and turn it into a positive part of their identity, as many within the global Arab diaspora asked us to do 100 years ago.
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As Kahlil Gibran says,
I am the descendent of a people built by Damascus and Byblos, and Tyre and Sidon and Antioch, and I am here to build with you, and with a will. It is to be proud of being American, but also it is to be proud that your fathers and mothers come from a land upon which God laid his gracious hand and raised his messengers.
It is with our history that the publication was borne, and the hopes that it would grow to become a connection between the diaspora and their own heritage as many generations have done before.
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Lena Boraei is a senior undergraduate at The American University in Cairo, majoring in Graphic Design and History. She is passionate about making history more accessible to wider audiences by combining her two disciplines through projects such as publications, card games, and infographics. In 2023, Lena was shortlisted for the Design it Arabic Award. She also appeared on Mehwar TV in Egypt to discuss her educational card game, which introduces children to historic and religious sites around Cairo. Lena is committed to creating impact through design and aims to bridge cultural understanding between the Arab world and the West.