I am Noor M. 15 years old, born in Baghdad, Iraq. My family and I immigrated to Washington in 2015. Moving to a new country on the other side of the world with no sense of the language and having religious shock was what made me who I am today. After spending more and more time in America, I felt more comfortable with my new life. I made new friends, tried things I’ve never done before, and explored my interests. I enjoy painting, hiking, and reading. Family and friends are very important to me of course. I made it my goal to use photography to resemble the beautiful sides to everything, and express my love for people close to me. Expressing myself through photography is nice because a picture could tell all of my thoughts. Being a Muslim is a big part of my life. My faith is strong. My religion is very dear to me. It’s one of the things that makes me who I am. I hope you enjoy my photographs!

“I love going to places where I can sit and people watch, take in the colors of their clothes, the wrinkles they have around their eyes when they smile, their body language when meeting one another, and sometimes I even eavesdrop on their conversations - wink!”

― Helen Edwards, Nothing Sexier Than Freedom

I love the sky. Sunrises and sunsets have always been fascinating to me. But I’ve felt more connected to it ever since my uncle passed. Maybe it’s because he’s always loved the sky too. Whenever I look up, I remember one of my favorite people. We used to look up at the night sky together when I was a kid. He’d tell me all about the stars and space. That’s where I got my love for astronomy as well. In the daytime, he’d give me lessons about the water cycle and where clouds came from. I used to fall asleep in boredom, but now I regret not listening to him more. Rest In Peace.

When I was anxious or sad as a kid, I would always search up “city at night” on Google images. I would scroll through the pictures for hours and fantasize about moving to a place like that one day. I love looking through people's windows. Although it may sound very weird and creepy, I can promise you I mean it only with the best intentions. When looking through a person's window, I like watching them dance to their favorite song, cooking their favorite meal, or watching the movie they always cry to. Seeing how people live their lives and how we, humans, are so similar yet so different from each other is so amusing to me.