Noura grew up in Tennessee but spent summers with her family in Syria. From an early age, she realized that wherever people are from, their similarities far outweigh their differences. With this in mind, she spent many years working with media outlets to promote understanding between cultures, especially in the United States and Middle East. She is also committed to empowering vulnerable populations, firmly believing that all individuals should have the opportunity to reach their potential and contribute to society. After graduating from the George Washington University, she grew more aware of the importance of social impact initiatives in poverty alleviation. While working at a firm exclusively for nonprofits, she noticed that the most successful clients utilized creative financial models to accomplish transformational impact. This realization led her to Ashoka’s Social Financial Services team where she works daily to analyze the work of social entrepreneurs innovatively using market forces to create systems change. She is an advocate of Ashoka’s mission to create an Everyone A Changemaker World and believes Kiva is a strong player in this goal. She is incredibly excited and humbled to serve as a Kiva Fellow in Lebanon!