Luma al-Mufleh

Luma al-Mufleh was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. It was a developing nation with the vast majority of its citizens suffering in abject poverty. Luma inherited her concern for the poor and needy from her beloved grandmother, Munawar, who would never turn away a beggar without giving him food or money. Luma’s favorite sport was soccer which was something her grandmother didn’t view as a proper pastime for a little girl.

Luma and her parents decided that she should attend college in the United States. She enrolled at Hobart and William Smith College in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She played soccer during her first semester but injured her knee ending her college play. Classmates remember Luma as outgoing and involved in sports and social events.

On a trip back home during her junior year, Luma realized that she could never...