The Alrefae family is from a town in Syria called Umm Walad about 80 miles south of Damascus. Because of the worsening conditions, they fled from Syria. After leaving everything behind — save for a few suitcases filled with clothes — and finding refuge in Jordan for a few years, they came to America in July 2016.

From mid-November to early December, I spent time almost daily with the Alrefae family. Today, they live in the west side of Cleveland. Mariam, the mother of three children, is working toward getting her license and finding her footing in her new surroundings while dealing with all the responsibilities of being a parent.