“Hi, do you mind if I take a few pictures of you for a communications class?” After taking a few minutes to take some photographs, Sarra continued on to her class.

That’s how I first met Sarra, the second week of classes, but little did I know that she was one of the most fascinating people I had ever met. I learned from seeing her around campus that Sarra had grown up out of the United States and had just previously moved to New York. As we were sitting down to begin the interview, I knew her story would be intriguing but I was curious about how she ended up at a small liberal arts school in Elon, North Carolina.

Sarra has lived abroad for essentially her entire life and spent a lot of time traveling to various countries around the world, including Bali, the French Alps, and Australia. She was born in Tunisia, but self identifies as both Tunisian and Moroccan because her father is from there. She grew up in Tunisia, though her family moved to Australia for a short period, and eventually moved to New York her senior year of high school. During the interview, Sarra explained that she has spent a majority of her life traveling, so to her family is a large part of what home is for her.

She credits her constant change in scenery as the reason behind her love for photography. She insisted that she takes photographs of people and nature because she isn’t sure when, if at all, she will ever see these people and places again. However, she also explained that she doesn’t mind moving around because it’s not normal for people to stay in the same place their entire life.

When asked about what she wanted to do with her life and where she saw herself in ten years, Sarra immediately discussed how her father’s career played a large role in her life. Sarra described how being a UN child has made her childhood much different than other student’s around her. To follow in her father’s footsteps, Sarra explained how she was doing everything she could in order to make her dream a reality. Since moving to New York, Sarra has loved living in the United States. Her hope is to stay here in the United States or at least visit with her family yearly.

Just a first year in college, Sarra has lived a life many people, including myself, dream of. Her interview was filled with advice that anyone could listen to. She believes family is the most important thing; sometimes it is necessary to have bad things in your life to value the good things, and that everyone has something special about them.

See the documentary here