Laila Soudi, Jordanian born, mental health researcher, currently working at Stanford

University, Interview over Skype, February 14, 2017, by Gilli Weinstein and Yah Yah
McCloud

Laila Soudi, 24 years old, works with refugees in many different ways. She currently is
working at Stanford in a new job that she said is being made up as they go along. Her current
job includes a lot of research that then is used to develop efficient solutions. She has also taken
a lot of volunteer opportunities to support and interact with refugees. Her passions now include
looking into the mental health aspect of refugees, specifically Syrian child refugees, based on
her Syrian background and the needs she observes in that population, and the impact of trauma
through generations. She originally gained a perspective of refugees from her mother and
grandma, who are both Palestinian refugees. She was born and raised in Jordan, which is a
country where 60% of the population are refugees. Being around refugees growing up, she was
always surrounded by the painful stories of these refugees, which ultimately motivated her
passion of helping refugees.

I was connected to Laila by my teachers sister, Kelly Griffin, who worked with refugees
and Laila in a Syrian refugee camp in northern Greece. Laila also does a lot of international trips
for refugee assistance.

Growing up I was exposed to discrepancies amongst the refugee population, in terms of

their access to health services. . .I would hear stories like hey, Im 15 and Im married to a 50
year old man. and Im like exposed to debilitating rape all the time. . .Certain elements of
trauma get passed from generation to generation. . .Thats when I learned that mental health
services were the most neglected but also the most urgently needed service when it comes to
health care for refugee population.

Laila talked a lot about something people dont seem to think about when it comes to
refugees and their needs, which is mental health care services. With all the intense situations
refugees are put in, it is no surprise they are left with mental health concerns or trauma just as
intense as their journeys. Sadly, no one seems to recognize and provide for that need. Laila is
taking action.

Although she has a lot of motivation and hope for what the health services could supply,
she struggles involving others because of the lack of initiative when it comes to helping
refugees, especially at the college she attended. Now she is working at Stanford and managed
to convince the faculty to input a global mental health research position, to look more into the
outcomes of mental health on Syrian child refugees who have been exposed to trauma. She
continues her research and intends to collect data in order to build services that can meet the
needs of the child refugees.

What is one story that has always stuck with you?

Right before leaving Syria, they [Syrian child refugees who are no longer in school]
were in school and ISIS essentially went in and raped all the girls in their class and then burned
all the boys alive. . . No ten year old should ever experience that in their entire life. Nobody
should.

Laila didnt have one specific story because of the fact that she hears at least one
terrifying story everyday, but she did share with us about the genres of stories she has heard.
She also shared that the hard stories never leave you and that she uses them as an
empowerment source to motivate her to help people, especially children, out of that situation.

She also had mentioned something significant that could even be answered under the
question What should people know about refugees?. Talking about her grandma and mom,
who were forced to flee due to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war that left hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians displaced by Israel's military offensive against Palestine, she said this: She [her
grandma] recognizes that stories are really the only thing she has at this point because she
cant technically go back to her house. Although the stories of refugees are hard to hear and
probably even harder to tell, it is something they should feel encouraged to express to always
have those good memories of their home.

Do you think the news portrays the refugee crisis in a reasonable way?
I think the US media is terrible when it comes to refugees. . . It is important to note that
they arent migrants if they are forced to leave their home. . . When you call someone a migrant,
you are almost devaluing their experience. . . A refugee doesnt have a sense of choice. . . By
calling them migrants, it almost rids us of our responsibility to help as readers because its
almost like they chose to come so its okay if we dont let them in no but its not okay because
they dont have a choice.

Laila was very passionate about using the correct label to fully understand all that these
people have gone through. By using improper terms, it can easily eliminate the empathy we
should feel for them.

She also shared strong points about how our media talks too much about religion, even
within topics that have nothing to do with the subject of religion. The only reason people include
religion is to introduce a fear and stereotype that is not valid, and overall just creates fear on the
other side of things.

Right after Trumps executive order, a friend of mine, who is a Syrian refugee, called
and she wears a Muslim scarf, or a hijab, and she lives in California, which is still a liberal place
and she was like I cant leave my house, Im too scared. What if something happens to me?
What if I get deported? I dont really know my legal rights but I also dont speak English to be
able to fight for my rights. . . This fear is valid.

There is hatred being spread throughout those of a certain religion or race all throughout
the media, but also just as much in everyday situations. There are mosques [muslim churches]
around the country [even places like California and Washington] that are being burnt as a sign
of hatred and as a sign of ensuring that Muslims understand that we dont want them here.
How can we help improve the lives the refugees as high school students?
Every individual has a role to play [in helping refugees]. Although the refugee crisis is a
huge problem that calls for many helping hands, there is a lot of basic needs that anyone can
help supply of even just offer their knowledge to help educate. I think there is something
empowering about giving people money and providing them the liberty to choose what they
want. Although there are a lot of clothes or food drives, those may not meet the needs of all the
refugees. By sending money, it can help boost the local economy in which you send the money,
not to mention you give the refugees freedom to decide.

Something she posed to us is Is it ethical to serve that global population and neglect the
locals?
I think this is the chief concern that people have when they limit the definition of global
health and include a fear of other countries. A lot of people, for some reason, have to have
things directly affect them for them to get involved or even feel empathy. Some arent able to
develop that sense of understanding unless it happens to them. To that point, a lot of people in
America dont have a connection to the Middle East for them to clearly see the unfair things we
are assuming and lack of support we are offering.

Although the connection [to the Middle East] isnt there, the need is definitely there--
more than anywhere else in the world I would argue. Even without the physical connection to a
place or group of people, we should still express empathy when millions of people are in
danger. We must attend to the needs of those in danger, regardless of an non-existent personal
relationship.

What are some reactions you receive when you tell people you work with refugees?
In America, most of the reactions are fearful, because of the horrible ways that refugees
are portrayed, especially amongst those in power. However, that fear goes both ways. Who
would want to live in a place where people constantly display fear of something that is everyday
life for you, and have a president who accommodates for that. Although there are certainly
pockets of liberal beliefs, which Laila happens to be in due to her living in California, the overall
feel of the country shows a fear of the Middle East. Because of this fear, we have narrowed the
meaning of global health, as Laila discovered when trying to get people involved in her
projects. In addition, it makes it hard [to get funding for the Middle East projects] because of
how America feels about refugees and the Islamophobia we have perpetuated.

What should people know about refugees?

I think the most important thing to know [about refugees] is that a refugee is just like
you. If you had your home taken away because of war then you would do anything you can to
secure a better life for you and for your kids. . . They all just want to go back home more than
anything.

A misconception is being portrayed such that once a country opens its doors, a bunch of
refugees will flood the country because it is better than their country of origin. That is not the
case. If people were to hear the positive stories from refugees about the their home country,
maybe they would understand that essentially, everyone is waiting for the opportunity to go
back home.
Notes:
Her Story: 4:15-8:30
- Laila Soudi
- Born and raised in Jordan
- Currently 24
- Grew up in Jordan with a dad who is
Syrian and a mom who is Palestinian
- Has family too this day still stuck in
Syria
- Mom and Grandma were both
refugees- expelled from there house
and then displaced into Jordan
- Growing up I was exposed to
discrepancies amongst the refugee
population, in terms of their access to
health services.
- 10 or 11, went to a refugee camp with
her uncle who is an orthopedic
surgeon
- Talked to refugees at a young age,
hearing lots of intense stories
- I would hear stories like hey Im 15
and Im married to a 50 year old man.
and Im like exposed to debilitating
rape all the time.
- Certain elements of trauma that get
passed from generation to generation
 - Thats when I learned that mental
health services were the most
neglected but also the most urgently
needed service when it comes to
health care for refugee population.
- Refugees have nowhere to seek
services
- Moved to the states when she was 14
or 15
- Graduated at UC Berkeley in 2014 got
a PHD in neuroscience then went to
UCSF for grad school and got a
masters in Global Health, with mental
health emphasis. Been at Stanford for
a year now
- Frustrated with the lack of initiative on
helping refugees at all of those
schools
- Started a program of Stanford campus
- Convinced Faculty to input a Global
Mental Health Research position,
looking more into the outcomes of
mental health on Syrian child refugees
who have been exposed to trauma
- Goal at new job: really understand the
impact of trauma on Syrian child
refugees and then actually build
services to meet those needs
- Company in Jordan that allows people
to get mental and psychical health
services
- Done volunteering with SAMS

Questions:
- The stories you hear from refugees
never leave you, have to use them to
empower you to do more
- Isis essentially went in and raped all
the girls in their class and burned all
the boys alive. . . no one should ever
experience that in their entire life.
Nobody should.
- Lots of torture and trauma stories, lot
of rape and lotof genital mutilation,
which motivates you to get children
out of that.
- Stories is the only thing refugees have
at this point because physically they
cant go back to their house. The
house is still there, it is just being
occupied by other people and doesnt
have the original value it used to.
- At Stanford it is hard to mobilize
people because they are scared of the
Middle East
- Global Health has a narrowed
meaning because of that fear
- Although the connection [to the
Middle East] isnt there, the need is
definitely there, more than anywhere
else in the world I would argue
- Makes it hard [to get funding for the
Middle East projects] because of how
America feels about refugees and the
Islamophobia we have perpetuated.
- Is it ethical to serve that global
population and neglect the locals?
- Typical to work with refugees in
Jordan because 60% of the
population is refugees
- The US media is terrible when it
comes to refugees. . . It is important to
note that they arent migrants if they
are forced to leave their home. . .
When you call someone a migrant, 22 minute
you are almost devaluing their
experience. . . A refugee doesnt have
a sense of choice. . . by calling them
migrants, it almost rids us of our
responsibility to help as readers
because its almost like they chose to
come so its okay if we dont let them
in no but its not okay because they
dont have a choice.
- Our media is so used to talking about
religion and talking about Muslims and
perpetuating Islamophobia. And even
the articles that have nothing to do
with religion are somehow are
implicated in perpetuating
Islamophobia.
- Right after Trumps executive order,
a friend of mine, who is a Syrian
 refugee, called and she wears a
Muslim Scarf, or a Hijab, and she lives
in California, which is still a liberal
place and she was like I cant leave
my house, Im too scared, what if
something happens to me, what if I
get deported, I dont really know my
legal rights but I also dont speak
English to be able to fight for my
rights.
- A lot of Muslims are terrified, as well
as a lot of people
- That fear is valid.
- There are mausks [muslim churches]
around the country, that are being
burnt as a sign of hatred and as a sign
of ensuring that Muslims understand
that we dont want them here.

Actions:
- Lots of vulnerable populations that
dont have access to warm clothes
- Collect money instead of supplies to
give to them to support local economy
and let them decide their needs
- I think there is something
empowering about giving people
money and providing them the liberty
to choose what they want.
- Every individual has a role to play [in
helping refugees]
- There are lots of refugees who just
need very basic things, which anyone
can help supply or educate.
- I think the most important thing to
know [about refugees] is that a
refugee is just like you. If you had
your home taken away because of
war then you would do anything you
can to secure a better life for you and
for your kids. . . They all just want to
go back home more than anything.
- A misconception being portrayed that
once a country opens its doors, a
bunch of refugees will flood the
country because it is better than their
country of origin. But really everyone
 is waiting for the opportunity to go
back home.

- It is not okay to get used to the stories

you hear from refugees
- Lots of refugees were great and
valuable occupations and overall have
many skills. The sad part is they are
not given the opportunity to use those
skills
-