Steady Like a Turtle

Small Journey Through My Journey

I came to Germany in September 2016. After learning the language for a year, I had to decide what I wanted to study. I worked as a journalist in Syria. But I didn’t know if it was reasonable to even think that I could work as a journalist in German. I had other possibilities in my mind.

I started studying journalism, and for heaven’s sake, it was hard. Very hard. I thought a lot about my decision. But deep down, I knew. I couldn’t help but try harder and harder. I did an internship to decide if being a journalist in Germany was realistic, or if I should change gears.

It was hard for me to convince the editorial director of my ideas. It was hard to win his trust. I worked day and night. I called my journalism professor and we met downtown. I told her everything, how things were going, because I really needed an answer. Why don’t they trust me? What am I doing wrong? She looked me in the eye and said, “Yes, I have an explanation.” “Please tell me,” I replied.

“Because you are a refugee, because you are young, because you are a woman!” she said.

My mind was silent for a moment. I could hear the silence. I was shocked but relieved! The main thing for me was that I and my journalistic skills were not the problem. The problem is in the media world out there.

Because I am a refugee and a young woman, I have to become a journalist. Not in spite of, but because of!

It’s been really special to be with an extraordinary cohort from around the world who are building amazing things. That’s incredibly encouraging.

We were part of the Journalism Innovators program at the Hamburg Media School. We learned a lot there. We received two prizes out of three for our pitch. Through the program we learned a lot and we were no longer afraid of terms like: “value proposition” or “product scaling” or “design thinking.”

We wanted to develop a better understanding of the media ecosystem and the world of creators. We wanted to take our work in CUNY’s Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program to the next and deeper level.

We thought about a YouTube format where we were going to have guests from different backgrounds and let them explore their relationships and ask questions they don’t normally ask themselves.

Then we thought about a journalism channel where we give young journalists a platform to report on their countries from their perspective.

It’s not easy to drop the ideas again and start from scratch. The program has been very helpful for us. You see better through the eyes of others. The exchange with the coaches and the other participants supported us.

I met Zoe in the first semester of journalism studies. We became friends, but a little over half a year ago we started working together. We want to take our product to the next level. I asked myself: Okay, what took our friendship to the next level? For me, it was definitely the moment we talked about love.

Zoe told me in the first semester that she was struggling with a long distance relationship, and I told Zoe that I have been in a long distance relationship for four years without even seeing my partner once!

I saw Zoe’s eyes open wide. Zoe asked me for more details. I saw the sparkle in her eyes. We had been friends before. I had already told Zoe about Syria, the revolution, and my family. But this was the first time we felt so connected. Love is universal and intimate, it connects. Our idea is born: a podcast about love.

We want to tell love stories from Germany. Stories from people of different origins, religions and genders. We want to explore how culture, religion and upbringing influence the way we love, but also how, when we choose to love, we influence our cultures. We want to tell that in an accessible, entertaining, and insightful way.

Through our podcast, we want to get to know the world better. intimately! Love is a powerful force and knows no boundaries. Therefore, to love means to be brave and to break rules, to go beyond many things! This is what we want to tell with the love stories.

We are the hosts. We tell our stories and stories of the young generation in Germany, which is more diverse than ever.

We are both journalists. We have the soul of a journalist, not that of an entrepreneur. We know how to find stories and tell them. What we lacked was entrepreneurial thinking. We learned a lot about how to make the most of the time we have. To prioritize, to focus and to make a difference. We found answers for questions like: How can we be resilient? How will we make ourselves sustainable? How will we keep ourselves healthy and financially stable enough to keep the business going?

I feel the pain as I write, the growing pain. A journalist. An entrepreneur. It’s an unusual combination. It’s not easy to combine these two different roles. But it’s necessary not only to survive in the media world, but also to thrive. And we want to thrive.

Not only do we want to start our podcast, but we also want to start a membership model on Steady and a newsletter. We want to engage in the community and do research. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them.

Deep down I knew that the world needed journalists like me. In the program I learned how to build our thing technically, but the most important thing was for me the courage we had and the company of inspiring people.

The program was a transformative experience for me. I am not the same Heba I was before.

Even so, there is no guarantee to not be disappointed in the end, because there is no guarantee for success. But failing is part of the journey. It’s about learning.

When you’re in uncertainty, when you feel at risk — don’t tap out. Stay brave and keep leaning into what’s uncomfortable.

It’s time to change. But it won’t be easy or quick. But I’ve learned in the 100 days of CUNYs Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program: it’s not about running fast, it’s about being steady and stable. Like a turtle, not a rabbit.

Related posts:

Moro na mesma casa a 26 anos. Construída do suado dinheiro de minha mãe, feita num terreno pago em Cruzeiros Novos vivos, vi acontecer cada transformação nela ao decorrer da vida. Porém, como tudo…

A deadlock occurs when different transactions are unable to proceed because each of them holds a lock that the other needs. In this blog, we will tell you more about them. Join in!

The Orleans is a hotel and casino located on West Tropicana Avenue near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. it opened in 1996 and is currently owned by Boyd Gaming. The hotel is home of the…