Meet Joele Ballouz | Student & Social Justice Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joele Ballouz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joele, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
My favorite quote or affirmation that I try to apply in all aspects of my life is “There’s no growth in comfort, it’s a necessary pain.” As humans, we tend to prefer comfort and sticking to what we are familiar with. This is more appealing but ultimately won’t push us anywhere. To achieve anything, we need to take risks and put ourselves in new, and often uncomfortable situations. We must take risks with our futures by trying new things and meeting new people. Furthermore, change is scary at times and can have us longing for the comfort we are already used to, but comfort ultimately leads to no growth. All our greatest benefits in life come from change. As long as we are willing to stick in the uncomfortable for a bit, the benefits of the new experiences will surely follow. It is here where we learn valuable lessons and meet lifelong friends. Sticking to what we are already used to can be nice, but we ultimately won’t reach our goals and become the highest version of ourselves without making sacrifices and taking risks to reach them.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Ever since I moved to America, the idea of helping my family back in Syria seemed impossible. I was always grateful for the opportunities I had, but I wished I could’ve shared them with my family. It wasn’t until sophomore year that I realized I had the potential to help my people. Following a variety of racist incidents at my school, I co-founded a diversity assembly to educate my school on the effects of discrimination against different groups of people. I persisted, communicated with admin, reached out to local organizations, and worked hard to be able to set up this event. Following the assembly, I continued working on activism through joining clubs and eventually gaining leadership in those clubs, such as UNICEF and Student Equity Council. Through this, I led the student body to work on educating projects such as workshops as well as raising money for those in need around the world. I also took more initiative in pursuing political internships to further my work to outside my community. Through my equity work, I found hope that encouraged me to want to branch out onto an international level towards my home. I now know I want to pursue a future working towards humanitarian aid within the Middle East. More specifically, I want to explore a major in International studies alongside a minor in Middle Eastern Studies minor at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Through this combination, I will pursue a future working through policies and foreign affairs to best contribute towards my home.
Throughout my activism, I also persevered in the face of obstacles and failure and I will take what I learned to best pursue my future. For example, during my assembly, controversy broke out in my school due to a speaker’s beliefs not aligning with the majority of my school’s. Despite the backlash, I understood that the conversations brought about by this controversy needed to be had. Through school board meetings, late nights up, a great deal of accusations, and constant communication between a variety of people, I was able to work towards bettering our community. Through this experience, I was able to bring awareness to a hidden issue in our community by representing some silenced voices in our school. By standing up for my beliefs in the face of a large opposition, I was able to make our school a safer space where students of the said silenced population felt more comfortable. Our dedication towards making the undermined voices heard opened up a new path for our community to follow.
In addition to my activism within my school community, I’ve held internships working with congressmen and working towards social justice. I’ve also been socially active, constantly posting about problems around the world and raising awareness. I also held other jobs such as working front desk at a tennis club, coaching tennis, and working in a bilingual environment in two different food corporations. All my jobs have taught me teamworking skills, communication, as well as efficiency and multitasking.
I plan on continuing to fight for those in need around the world even in the face of great opposition within my future. I will pursue a higher education as well as work within or alongside non-profit organizations. I am dedicated towards creating a better world through humanitarian work. I will work towards creating a better life for other Middle Eastern children, in the way my younger self never imagined.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
On the first day, I would have my best friend come over and I’d cook for them so we could relax and stay in for the first night. I’d invite some other friends over so they can meet everyone first. This way, the first day can be calm and a good start to introducing my best friend to everyone. On the second day, we’d go to places close by such as my favorite Italian restaurant downtown in Birmingham. Salvatore’s Scallopini is my favorite restaurant and I grew up going there so I’d love to make more memories with my best friend there. This way we can explore downtown and I’d get to show them all the stores and parks near there. On the third day, I’d take them to the beach or pool, every good vacation needs a beach day or a pool day to relax all day. On the fourth day, we would stay in again and invite more people over. We could throw a party for a nearby occasion, such as a birthday or a holiday. I’d invite all my closest friends and have everyone spend time together. On the fifth day, we’d go out to a further downtown. Seeing new cities is always a fun adventure and you get to explore the hidden gems of a town. We could go to Detroit and explore the city and take cute pictures to look back on. On the last day or two, I’d let my best friend pick what they wanted to do. Whatever they enjoyed the most during their trip, we could do it again, or if they had some new ideas, we could explore that as well.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Although the reason I have gotten where I am in life is due to many people and experiences, my parents ultimately deserve the greatest credit in my story. My parents sacrificed their future and moved to America to give me and my siblings opportunities they never had. They worked hard and overcame racism, language barriers, and financial problems and ultimately gave me and my siblings a great life. Most importantly, despite all the hardships they endured, they remained good people and constantly put good out into the world. My parents are my greatest inspiration as they taught me to work hard and to remain a good person no matter the circumstances you are in. I am the person I am because of their example and love which taught me how to be strong and kind in all areas of my life.

Instagram: @joeleballouz