Hold on to the dream
I am Yassine, born in a small village in Morocco, carrying within me something that always pushes me forward, even when the ground slips from beneath my feet. I grew up in a simple home, learning every day that life gives nothing easily, and that strength is not gained through words, but through the moments we are forced to face.
I searched for myself between books, work, and the small experiences that shape the man before shaping the future. But in 2021, my world turned upside down; I lost my father suddenly, as if the earth tightened around me in a single moment. I was eighteen… too young for such a loss, yet suddenly too old for everything. That moment didn’t just wound my heart—it completely reshaped it. I became quieter… and stronger.
Years passed, and I changed. I worked wherever I found an opportunity and learned from every place and every person. Sometimes in a grocery shop, sometimes at a gas station… and every day, I discovered something new within myself. I learned how to speak to people, how to deal with pressure, and how to stand back up when everything around me collapses.
On the other side of my life, there was football. I was a goalkeeper—the one who stands alone in front of the goal, as if protecting the last chance. Maybe that’s why I loved this role… because it resembled my life so much.
And just as sports were my strength, art was my refuge. Drawing and design were the only place where I could breathe freely—where no one asked anything of me, and no one could hurt me. Just me… my colors… and what I felt.
Today, when I look back, I don’t see only the hardships. I see the young man who never gave up. Who stood in front of life the same way he stood in front of the goal—alone sometimes, tired sometimes, but never stepping aside. I see a boy who carried more than he could, yet didn’t break. A boy who grew into a man quietly, without noise, without help—only through pain, patience, and persistent hope.
I am still learning, still searching, still trying to build the future I dream of. I fall, I get lost, I slow down… but every time, I rise again, even if it takes longer than before. Because deep inside me, there is something that refuses to let me stop—something my father left in my heart, something life could never take away.
And maybe this is my story:
A young man from Morocco, shaped by loss, strengthened by struggle, guided by a heart that still believes that every dark night has its dawn.
I am Yassine… and I am still walking my path, slowly, honestly, and with all the courage I have!