An international student from Lebanon who is best known for shooting photos and videos for The Schoolcraft Connection student newspaper, Tala will serve as the student speaker at Commencement.
During Schoolcraft College’s 2024 Commencement, audience members could see Tala Wehbe running around with a camera in her hand, taking photos to share online through the Schoolcraft Connection. This year, Wehbe will be in attendance again, but in a much different role: instead of covering the ceremony, Wehbe will be a part of it.
Wehbe, an international student from Lebanon, will serve as the student reflection speaker during the 60th Annual Commencement Ceremony, which takes place May 3 in the TrinityElite Sports Center on the Schoolcraft College campus. There, she plans on sharing her journey growing up in the Middle East before coming to the United States for college.
She spent much of her youth in Saudi Arabia. When looking for a place to attend college, she looked to Michigan, since she had some family here and her older brother was already taking classes in a doctorate program at Central Michigan University. After looking around the metro Detroit area for a place to attend, she learned about Schoolcraft College and enrolled.
“It was just so easy to get in contact with the International student office. It was so easy to send over my paperwork,” she said. “They will make sure you are not dealing with this alone.”
Since arriving on campus, Wehbe has worked to hone her skills behind the camera and in the graphics lab. She will graduate May 3 with a degree focused on Computer Graphics Technology.
She’s regularly seen at events all across campus, taking photos and video to produce for newspaper. She’s also spent plenty of time in the labs in the Jeffress Center, taking her CGT courses and learning all she could.
It’s a field she’s become incredibly passionate about, and wants to find a way to utilize it in her career. Lebanon and Saudi helped ignite Wehbe’s passion for the field, but she came to the U.S. for more advance opportunities for further development her skills and pursue her goals.
“Film and multimedia has always been my dream, but it has been such a farfetched dream to the point where I never really considered doing it as a career,” she said.
After spending time at Schoolcraft, Wehbe is headed to Eastern Michigan University, where she plans on finishing her bachelor’s degree before heading back to the Middle East. Her dream is to work in the sports field, creating 3-D graphics for teams and other uses.
Wehbe has truly embraced living in metro Detroit since arriving, enjoying all the region has to offer. She’s loved exploring the state, learning about its culture and feeling connected to this. Her time at Schoolcraft College has never felt like a chore, but more like a welcoming place that’s given her a place to feel herself.
“I I don’t wanna say it felt like a second home, but it it really did. It was it was very warm and welcoming,” Wehbe said. “I’ve I not once was like, ‘Oh, I gotta go to school.’ Maybe it was, ‘Ugh, I gotta go to that class,’ but always after class, I I always just go to the Connection office, and just go around campus. It’s a it’s a very welcoming place.”