How 9/11 Inspired an Egyptian Immigrant to Become a U.S. Diplomat

When George Farag was a graduate student at Syracuse University in 2001, he met an investigator for the U.S. Foreign Service who told him he should consider joining the diplomatic corps because of his Egyptian background and his ability to speak Arabic.

At the time, Farag thought the idea was preposterous. He had been raised by a single mother in Jersey City after his family fled Egypt in 1986 in search of a better life. The family struggled to get by, with Farag’s mother working as a babysitter during the day and a bodega cashier at night. They relied on welfare services and pulled furniture and clothing out of discarded piles on the side of the street.

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Brittany Bernstein

Brittany Bernstein is the deputy news editor of National Review Online.

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When George Farag was a graduate student at Syracuse University in 2001, he met an investigator for the U.S. Foreign Service who told him he should consider joining the diplomatic corps because of his Egyptian background and his ability to speak Arabic.

At the time, Farag thought the idea was preposterous. He had been raised by a single mother in Jersey City after his family fled Egypt in 1986 in search of a better life. The family struggled to get by, with Farag’s mother working as a babysitter during the day and a bodega cashier at night. They relied on welfare services and pulled furniture and clothing out of discarded piles on the side of the street.