Zayd Mohammed and Ahmed Al-Tameeni, both second-year students in Glendon’s Master of Conference Interpreting program were among the first people to greet Syrian refugees as they landed in Toronto and Montreal. As students able to speak and understand Arabic, the graduate program helps them to hone their skills to interpret in a range of professional environments. Recognizing that their personal and academic knowledge might be needed urgently, these students developed an outreach project to extend their support to hundreds of Syrian refugees of all ages as they arrived. As busy students and with very little time, Mohammed and Al-Tameeni also organized and helped to train and supervise a number of other Arabic interpreters and spent many long and late hours in airports in Toronto and Montreal welcoming refugees. In addition to helping many newcomers, Al-Tameeni also had the unique opportunity to interpret for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Kathleen Wynne.
