Nedal Klaib was a veterinarian in his home country of Syria. He fled to Jordan with his wife and five children due to the civil war in 2012. In Jordan, he was able to continue his work as a veterinarian, but when he came to America, his education and credentials didn’t transfer.

As we were driving home, I received a text from my daughter. She was clearly unsettled. She wanted to know when I was going to be home because the fires were getting worse, she said. What fires? I thought.