HAMBURG, N.Y. – Jordan Hattar, a 22-year-old humanitarian, will speak at Hilbert College’s Swan Auditorium on April 15 at 6:30 p.m. A recent graduate of California State University Long Beach, Hattar’s story encompasses Hilbert’s mission and Franciscan values. This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP at https://giving.hilbert.edu/jordan-hattar.
On the night of Hattar’s high school graduation, while his fellow classmates embarked on a cruise ship for their senior class trip, Jordan packed his suitcases, followed his heart, and set out on a humanitarian trip to war-torn South Sudan.
After returning from Sudan in 2011, Jordan started college and studied international relations. The following year, one of Jordan’s professors introduced him to the atrocities occurring in her home country of Syria. Although Jordan did not know a single person in Syria, the testimonies by his professor drew him to care. As a result, Jordan founded Help 4 Refugees and followed his heart by traveling to the country of Jordan in the fall of 2012. Since then, Jordan has been reporting as a freelance journalist and providing more adequate housing for refugees in the Syrian refugee camp of Al-Zaatari. If Jordan had one message to share with the world, he would emphasize “that in order to make a positive difference in this world, you don’t always need a specific skill, just a heart. Follow your heart, it will take you where you need to be.”