I describe myself as a very international person. I was born in Syria, but I spent four years of my childhood in Saudi Arabia, where my kindergarten teacher was Pakistani and my best friends were from Egypt and Azerbaijan. We could only speak to each other in English, which helped me learn the language (although I will say memorizing every One Direction song helped quite a lot too…).

After graduating from high school in Syria, I got a scholarship to UWC Atlantic, an international boarding school in Wales. Some people said a second high-school degree was a waste of two years, but I didn’t regret it one bit. I shared a room with classmates from five different countries and studied with peers from across the globe—experiences that expanded my view of the world and of myself. 

Here at Tufts, I initially declared as a Cognitive and Brain Sciences major, but CS quickly pulled me in. I never thought I'd enjoy debugging code. This summer, I’m in an MIT program called Break Through Tech exploring machine-learning concepts and applying them to real-world projects. It's making me realize that I’d love to get into a career at the intersection of health and technology (wearables maybe?).

I am also the lead for our International Undergraduate Peer Advisor program. Our team supports incoming international first-year students and helps them transition to life at Tufts. Last week, for our mental health session, we covered topics like managing finances or spending holidays away from home. I discussed how to respond to emergencies at home when you’re far away and shared some tips that got me through tough times. We also had a social session where we got really competitive over a Jeopardy game. It’s super wholesome.

My biggest piece of advice? Don't fall for FOMO. I didn’t have many opportunities back home—here, it’s opportunities everywhere. Don’t feel guilty about missing out on a few of them to take time for yourself. Also, ask for help. If you need something, tell someone.

—Karla Armoush, A27, Lead Peer Advisor, Tufts International Center 

Our Tufts is a series of personal stories shared by members of the Tufts community and featured on both Tufts Now and Instagram.