News Post

 Author Katherine Saad Feghali spoke to Visitation juniors and seniors about her experience growing up in Lebanon during its civil war, fleeing Beirut as a young woman, and how she held onto hope when leaving everything she knew.

Feghali was brought in as a speaker by the Middle Eastern Affinity Club, who planned a Q&A with the author with moderators theology teacher Mike Mothes and Director of DEI Rachel V. Jones '08. Julia Williams ‘25 held a discussion with Feghali, whom she knows from working with Feghali’s organization, Education and Opportunities for Lebanon (EOL) over the last year and a half.

“It’s a complicated situation; I just want to impress that on you,” said Feghali of her experience in Lebanon.

“You have to look for the beauty in a place despite the war,” she said. She took nearly eight years to write her novel, Glass Cedars. The process meant revisiting her own painful history. “The story [from Glass Cedars] is not just a story of Lebanon; it’s a universal story,” said Feghali, noting that people from other countries like Russia, Bangladesh, and Ukraine have reached out to her to let her know of the story’s impact and familiarity for them. 

She was told she had one hour to pack a suitcase and leave her home in Beirut behind as a young woman, not knowing if her family would survive, nor whether they would ever return. She shared how her mother slowly closed each door, taking a mental picture of her home. “That impacted my life, it impacted the way I look at everything. When you have one hour and a small suitcase, what is of value to you?” Feghali asked the students.

Julia shared, "I believe her story with the Lebanese Civil War shares many parallels to the current conflict [in the Middle East], and I wanted the girls to understand the terrible effects of this intense violence. My grandparents and mom had an almost identical story fleeing Lebanon with Kathy; they even had the same driver take them to the airport. So, this cause really affects me personally and I felt called to share the story of my family with Visi in addition to the overall message of promoting peace and preventing violence."

“No one should have to go through this. No one should have to suffer like we suffered,” said Feghali, adding later, “Hate should have no place in our world. It doesn’t get us anywhere. It poisons you. You can’t let hate become part of you. Once you do, it destroys you.”

She referenced how in Lebanon when she was young, neighbors who differed politically and religiously had prioritized their relationship over differences. “It’s beautiful, it’s wonderful to have someone who has different ideas as a friend. It really is,” said Feghali, “because it enriches you and you have to be able to reach out and say, ‘I think you make a good point but I totally disagree with you.’”

Feghali told students the advice her grandmother gave her, when she was nervous about going to classes in the midst of the war. “‘Use the brains that God gave you, you make the sign of the cross, and you go.’ Put your faith in a higher force and use your brains,” she said.

Feghali’s perseverance followed her when she began her career in aerospace engineering as a woman in a male-dominated space, saying she didn’t feel she faced a glass ceiling – she faced a “concrete dome.” Leaning on friends and having support from people who believed in the women on her team made a difference. 

That same mindset helped her develop EOL. “How can you change the world? What will you do that will make a difference?” Feghali asked students in the audience.

“No one knows yet,” laughed Julia.  

“There’s always a way to do it. It might not be as massive as you dream of, but hopefully it will be,” she advised. Feghali and a small group of friends came up with the idea of education to make a difference in Lebanon. Since founding EOL, the group has helped fund costs for 23,000 students to stay in school. “Together we could do it, we could make a difference. We went from feeling helpless to helpful,” she said.

She encouraged students to bring friends with them when they have ideas. “Ten people in a room are smarter than one genius in the room,” Feghali said. “Bring your friends, bring different people from different backgrounds, and come together to do it.”

"I walked away from the conversation with a new understanding of the word hate," said Julia, who noted she walks away from every conversation with Feghali having learned something new. "Her profound knowledge of the negative effects of the word re-shaped my interpretation of it. She is someone that has really faced that epitome of pain in life and has every reason to hate, yet she still does not do so. She is such an inspiration to me and all of the Visi girls to lead with love and peace."

"I hope students left the event inspired by Mrs. Feghali's commitment to story telling and centering humanity," said Jones. "This event was made possible by remarkable student leaders and I hope other students are reminded of what is possible for future student-led events."