My name is Amir Elkhatib. I am Palestinian. I am currently the Event Sales Manager at La Centre Conference and Banquet Facility. I previously worked as a real estate agent with Howard Hanna. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and also grew up in Cleveland. I am a first-generation Arab American and proud. My father is Palestinian and grew up in Venezuela, and my mother grew up in Jerusalem, Palestine. I went to North Olmsted High School, and then Lorain Community College. While I always understood the importance of education, I also understood the importance of real-life work experiences. I started working during summer breaks when I was 12, then started working in the cellular phone retail business at 16 years old. These experiences as I grew up helped me get to own and operate my first Sprint Prepaid Group Retail Store at 20 years old. By the time I turned 24, I owned and operated 4 stores and became one of the top 3 retailers in the Northeast Ohio Region by SPG. After 8 years of working in the cellphone retail industry, I decided to become a real estate agent as I always admired this field and how it thrives. In my first year of working as an agent, I sold $10 million in properties, and won the Rookie of the Year, Top Mortgage, and Top Business Awards with Howard Hanna. I am inspired by hard work. I am inspired by individuals thriving no matter where they are in life to grow and learn. I believe that every step I have taken in my life personally and professionally has led me to this point in my life. I always knew I wanted to be successful so I can always be the help that my family needs. My Arab heritage values family, and this drives me to succeed and grow even more. I am proud of where I come from, and I believe that with this pride, we can continue to grow and support each other. Our community is large, and our presence can become stronger when we focus on growing in educational, business, and professional ranks. And as Elon Musk who’s one of my inspirers said: “I could either watch it happen or be a part of it.” So let’s all be part of it.