_{NuVu High School’s founder and CEO, Saeed Arida, has returned to Syria—not just his birthplace, but the very place where his vision for a new approach to education first took shape. Read his initial reflections on this long-awaited homecoming…}

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"After I had long given up on the dream of ever setting foot in Syria again, the fall of the regime suddenly made it feel possible. And now, after just a few days here, I still haven’t fully grasped the reality of it—I am home.

Damascus is still breathtaking, still full of life. But beneath the surface, the wounds run deep. At first glance, everything seems normal, even beautiful. But then you talk to the people who stayed—the ones who lived through it all—and the stories pour out. Barrel bombs. Families torn apart. Checkpoints that decided fates. Prisons. Torture. Snipers. The weight of it is inescapable.

The Old City of Damascus still holds its magic, its soul untouched by time. The mountains in my hometown still stand tall, watching over us like they always have. But then you meet the security guard who lost three of his brothers and somehow managed to pull the fourth from the horrors of Sednaya prison, and you find yourself crying, overwhelmed by the depth of loss.

Being here again is a kind of miracle, but it’s complicated. I feel the joy of returning, of walking through streets that feel like they belong to me. But I also feel the guilt of it—of being able to experience this beauty when so many never got the chance.

I didn’t come back just to wrestle with my emotions about Syria—I came to help. What pulled me here in the first place was the vision of rebuilding the schools in my town. After meeting the team on the ground, walking through the damaged schools, talking to the leaders, the teachers, the students—I feel an undeniable sense of purpose. The suffering of the last 13 years cannot be undone, but maybe, in some small way, I can help ease the weight of what people have endured."