My name is Victor Deeb Kirallah, a first-generation Arab American from Syria. I’m a Cleveland native, born and raised. I attended high school in a very small rural town in Florida, after graduation, I moved to Columbus and then eventually back to Cleveland. Since then I’ve graduated from Cleveland State University from the Monte Ahuja School of Business with a B.S. in Business Administration and Accountancy. I worked 7+ years in both public accounting and corporate America with the majority of my experience in Tax Accounting. On January 1, 2019, I made the decision to work for myself as a commercial real estate sales associate at Anchor Cleveland and as a financial consultant. I also co-founded Elite Eating which is a meal preparation company with two other business partners in 2016. Like my fellow board members, I joined AAC to be a representation of my heritage but also our Cleveland Arab Community. I’m a firm believer in connecting/networking with people and more importantly connecting people. We are here for a purpose and that purpose is a foundation of our identity. I look up to many of my family members who have deep roots in Cleveland and are known to be successful entrepreneurs. They have set the tone for the younger generations of my family like myself who aspire to be like-minded. I’m most proud of my Syrian heritage regarding our cuisine. It’s a fun topic of discussion but we have the BEST food in the Middle East. On a serious note, we do. I’d like to end with my favorite quote; “To surpass the deeds of others is unimportant; to surpass my own deeds is all” – Og Mandino.