After graduating from college in Oujda, I left to France to finish my graduate studies in the field of Semiotics (a branch of linguistics). I lived in Paris for 6 years. After defending my thesis, I was offered a job both in France CNRS and Agadir University, Morocco. I entertained both positions, but at the end I decided to come to the States for a post doctorate year.

The first trip to New York was not very appealing to me, so I went back to Paris. It is in my second visit that I decided to stay in New York. The beginning was pretty much a fight for survival. I changed jobs quite frequently. My PhD did not really help me in getting a stable position. It was the recession, job offers were very scarce.

I eventually made a sudden career change to focus on the tourism industry. While the whole thing was totally foreign to me, I worked extra hard to learn everything I could about the industry. I moved to Orlando and started FNT International, now one of the largest Receptive Tour agencies in Florida, and the number one airline tickets selling agency in the state. My advice to Moroccan community in the states is to focus on what they are doing, do it well and to never forget their country.