Layla Khdir complete 2

Layla Cutter, a former Syrian refugee, shares her journey from being a young girl with dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist to her escape from war-torn Syria to Canada. She recalls starting her own TV channel as a child and the challenges she faced during the war, including bombings and the struggle to find medical care. Layla's mother, a hero in her eyes, started a small business to support their education and sacrificed her own health for her children. Despite the hardships, Layla's determination and her mother's love and sacrifice have brought her to where she is today as a successful radio producer in Canada. For many of us, the dream of becoming a broadcast journalist, well, it starts at quite an early age. Some dreams spot up against real challenges, big ones. Our next guest has an amazing story. From Syrian refugee to Canadian radio producer, let's chat with Layla Cutter of 630 Chen in Edmonton. Broadcast Chronicles, revealing the most surprising, compelling and even shocking stories behind some true characters from the other side of the microphone. Here's Bruce Plaggett. A deep interest in people and a passion for telling compelling stories. Oh yeah, and that uncompromising curiosity. I've always thought that those are the keys to great journalism and great information radio. Our guest Layla Cutter is still in her 20s but has seen and lived right through war, family illness, cultural challenges and moving to a new country, Canada. A place where she is now working as a successful early career radio producer. Layla, thanks so much for sharing with us. Tell me about when and where your career dreams really started. Oh my God, that was really long time ago. So, I was around 6 years old. I was grade 1 and my mom was still pregnant with my middle sister and I was really bored. And the only thing I thought about is doing a forecast in my language, drawing the Syrian map on a piece of paper, hanging it on a wall and just start to broadcast and anchor by myself. And I really liked the idea. I was like, shall I expand this? And I did. So, in my imagination of course, I opened my TV channel and I called it Al Raya. Al Raya in Arabic means a flag. And my logo was a white flag which is like in Arabic also or in my culture is a signal of peace. So, the channel was my mirror. So, every day I have like programs and different programs, different topics. I just stand in front of my mirror and start to anchor to people. In Syria as a little girl. In Syria. And I was like 6 years old. I was grade 1 and I asked my cousin if she wanted to join me and she joined me. And we kept expanding the channel even more to like lots of mirrors. Which is like for me, mirror was a camera. And yeah, we wrote scripts. We even like had like TV shows, you know, between me and her. We discussed, I mean, serious topics like school, homework. But those sound like good times. And I know things did take a change for you as a girl in the next few years. And some of those dreams I think you want to put aside, had to put aside. Tell me about that. Yeah, of course. So, the war in Syria started in 2011. And Aleppo, which is my city, is located in northern Syria. It was really hit by the war and it was like the most impacted city in Syria. The destruction was horrible. So, I was still in Syria. I get so stressed when I remember those memories. But like what made us actually really leave the country was a bombing beside our place. So, this bombing impacted my sister. She got injured and we couldn't find any like doctor to help her stitch the wound. And that was like the moment when my mom was like, we can't live here anymore. We should leave the country immediately. Because my sisters were too young. Like I was 11 years old. My middle sister was 6 years old. The youngest one was a year old. And we had like a disabled grandma. And then the war just like even got worse. So, one time we were like walking on the street. And there's like a fight between the government and the revolution people. And they were fighting between each other. And the military tank entered the neighborhood. And we were all on the street. And there was like nothing to do. And the only thing my mom was focusing on is how to get this young kid, my youngest sister, and my disabled grandma out of this war zone. So, we had to break into a supermarket and just stay there till they finish the fight between each other. And there were like lots of people injured. There were like lots of bodies that were left on the street. And at this moment, I was like, I don't think I'm going to be a journalist anymore. And I really started to shift my dreams. And people would remember that one day I told them, oh, maybe I'll try to become a pharmacist or an engineer or just like whatever people in Syria do. So, also like one moment of the war that I recall was when I gave hope, when I just stopped resisting. I lay down on my bed. And I looked at the flights, the airplanes that were bombing the buildings next to us. And I was like, okay, I'm not going to resist. If there's anything I want right now is to die peacefully. And I laid down on the bed, closed my eyes, and just waited to die. It did not happen, thankfully. So, my mom was like, with everything happening, she decided to leave. I remember those days we were sleeping at the entrance of our apartment because people told us, oh, you need to be in the middle of the apartment. So, whenever there's like bombing or anything, you are like in a safer area. It wasn't safe, of course, but like, you know, we won't be dead. You know, that's like the goal, to not die. So, we packed our stuff in plastic bags. We just slept at the entrance of the apartment. And before closing the airport, we were the last trip to go from Aleppo. So, we went from Aleppo, Syria, to Cairo. And that was in 2012. And how many others were with you at that point, making that same journey? So, I went with my mom, my two younger sisters, I'm the oldest, and my grandma. She was disabled. She was using a wheelchair. So, it was like really hard to keep her in Syria. And you ended up over in Egypt as a refugee. Life did not necessarily become any easier, did it? Of course not. And that's because we left with nothing. I mean, there's a difference between an immigrant who decided to leave the country by their willing, and they just saved money for leaving their country to start a new life and build a new life in a different country. However, in our case, we were forced to flee the country, because it's either you want to stay alive and go find a different country, or you just die in Syria. So, we had to leave everything behind. We did not have any startup amount of money to start with. And this is where my mom's role started. She was a hero. And she was always focusing on how to educate us. So, what she did is she started a small business, which is Syrian food catering business, and she started selling Syrian food. We did not even have kitchen equipment. I swear, one time, she wanted ground meat. We didn't have the money to get a full ground meat. So, she had to grind the meat with her hands. And she just started chopping the meat to get the fine chop of meat to make it ground meat. And, yes, this is how hard the life was for her. I remember we did not even have mattresses. We did not have bed sheets or anything. The weather was so cold, and we were sleeping on the floors. And mom was working 24 hours. One time, she only slept for an hour to wake up the other day and start to sell food. An incredible woman. She is an incredible woman. And she put all the money that she got from the small business towards our education. She put me in an English school just to make my life easier and not struggle speaking English, because it is a really necessary language that I need to have. She was always focusing on how to educate us to make us live a normal childhood. She started to get tired. She was feeling that there is a tumor in her breast. And she was just ignoring the tumor because she would rather to spend the money on us, not on her health. So, yes, by 2014, so we went to age of 2012. In 2014, she was like, I cannot do this anymore. I am so tired. The tumor is getting bigger and bigger. And we forced her to go to a doctor, to an oncologist. And she went there, and they told us that she has stage 4 breast cancer. And the problem is like the health care in Egypt was not covered for us because we are not Egyptian citizens. And she had to pay for all of her treatments, radiology therapy, I guess. And, yes, so we did not have enough money. And she was always, I told you, preferring our education on her health. Still giving. Still giving even though she was going through a tremendous battle. Yes, and she was in severe pain. So she chose like the cheapest chemotherapy, which is, of course, it is not going to work. And the cancer kept spreading all over her body. And like it went to her bones, to her skin. I remember even like seeing her vomiting because of the chemotherapy. And just like a few minutes after, she just go and keep working. She did not stop working. And, yes, that was like, like for me, she focused on her health more, my education, because I would love to have her today beside me. But Leila, you were still, while this was happening, a teenage girl. Yes, I was in grade nine. I was also helping my mom making the food and taking care of my younger sisters. They think that I am their mom as well. I am their second mom. So, yes, this was like a problem to me. My mental health at that time was not great. I lived in fear. I always lived in fear. And I thought the fear would stop when I left Syria, but no, it never stopped. And, yes, so my mom was like seeking for a better health care. And that was not an option in Egypt. So she went to the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency in Egypt. And because we were like a yellow card holders, we were a member of this agency. So she went there and she was like, hey, I've heard that you have something called the Resettlement Program. And they told her, yeah, we do have the Resettlement Program, but this program is designed for people that we pick to go to leave Egypt. And, unfortunately, your family is not picked. And she said, like she kept begging them over and over, and she said, I'm dying soon. And when I die, I just want my kids to live in a safe country surrounded by nice people. And that was like her focus. Her focus is like to get us in a safer country where our needs are met and where we're going to have a better education, better life, and, you know, quality of life in general. So they got bored of her. And they're like, okay, well, we'll file an application for you, but nothing will be promised. And that was back in 2016. So 2016, we started the process of leaving Egypt. And they offered us places in Europe, Sweden, Germany. But then we only got accepted in Canada, which is really, like, fortunate because we have an uncle here. And that's why, like, they were advocating, like, for us to live in Canada. And the reason was, like, your daughters will be with their uncle. So in 2019, we got the acceptance to leave Egypt and go to Canada. And we went to Canada under something called the Resettlement Program, which is taking refugees from developed countries and place them in Europe, Canada, Australia, and North America. And, yeah, so we went to Vancouver. And this is where the magic started. But your dream of being a journalist and working in broadcasting continued on. Of course, yeah. That's because when I was in Egypt, 2016 was the year when I graduated from high school. And though I picked sciences, like, so in high school in Egypt, the system is like to either pick sciences, math, or literature. So I picked sciences. But then I've always wanted to be a journalist. And when I graduated from high school, I went to journalism school, university, rather. And I was working to get my bachelor's degree in TV and radio. So I studied three years of journalism in Egypt. I also did trainings with the State of Arab Leagues, which is a political organization. I've done some political analysis workshops there. And I went all over politics. And I was so happy and proud of myself. I've done around, like, 20 certificates. I've studied, like, online journalism from Reuters. I've studied investigative journalism as a course as well. So I was really happy. And I was like, things are starting to get better. But I always felt, like, there should be a better place to practice journalism than the Middle East. So when we first arrived in Vancouver, my uncle was introducing me. He lived in Burnaby. And we passed by BCIT. And he told me, hey, this is, like, one of our biggest institutes in Burnaby. And I guess they have journalism. I was like, oh, my God, really? Do they? And I just, like, started searching BCIT's website. And I bookmarked BCIT as a place to start with. So I saw the requirements. What do they need in order to go to journalism school? And I worked on those requirements. So the only requirement they needed was English. And I was three levels away from the English requirement. So I went to VCC first, Vancouver Community College, to study English. And I told them, hey, I want to finish those three courses in a nine-month period, can I? And she said, if you're a superhero, then yeah. But no one did it before. And I told her, well, I will. Superhero, let me tell you. Let me show you. Yeah. And I promised her that I will do it. I will do it. Because I needed to have the English requirement before September 2020. So I arrived in Canada in March, sorry, in April 2019. And between April 2019 to September 2020, I had to finish my English requirement. And so the VCC program started in September 2019. And I finished that in July 2020. Wow. And after I finished, I went to BCIT. I applied. I've done the entry exam. And they called me. And they were like, hey, Leila, we have one spot only. Do you still want it? And I was like, of course, of course. What do you mean? I've been working on this dream forever. Of course. What wonderful views, though. I mean, that's incredible. That's a moment when you get that nod. And also, by the way, VCC really awarded me. And they gave me an award as like an English student, which is really lovely. And during my time there, I was also working with the ISS of BC, helping other refugees to embrace the community here in Canada and how they can just like, you know, live in this country. So I was doing both. And, yeah, it was like one of my happiest moments throughout my life. I was between my family, my uncle, my cousins, my mom, my dad, sisters. So, yeah, and everything was going smooth and great. But BCIT also gave you the opportunity to have a taste of radio and TV. So I, throughout my life at BCIT, I've done three internships. One at CBC Radio at the early edition show with Stephen Quinn. The other was at Global BC. And then Global BC, the TV part. And then the last one was CTV. I was like at the assignment desk, as well as writing some web stories for CTV. And, yeah, so there are three. But the magic came, and this is where I met you. I think the real magic came with your job being offered from CKNW, which is a legacy, historic, big powerhouse radio station in Vancouver. In the talk format. And suddenly you were able to come in and be a producer. That must have been incredible. Yeah, so I graduated back in June of 2022, and I got hired in July. And people don't believe it, it only took you a month. Yes, it took me a month, really, to get hired after graduation. So I started as the weekend producer at CKNW, and I worked with Sterling Fox, and he was the nicest person I've ever met. Classic. Yeah. He really is. I left the weekends to do some chase producing, where I helped everyone to produce their shows, as well as producing some of my own features. So, yeah. But that's an interesting lens. You're coming in with a very different background than many other producers. You lived through some real things, from being a refugee, having a mother who was dying while raising her girls, and also seeing war yourself. The lens that you come in with, that's really incredible. Do you think it made a difference? Yeah, do you think it made a difference? It is making a difference. I guess it is making a difference because I've always been a hard worker, for many reasons. One of them is to make my mom proud of me, and to not make her feel that all the things that she did for us were wasted. No, I wanted to let her know that everything I'm doing right now is just to remember her legacy and make people feel, oh, she raised those daughters really well. Yes, you said my mom was dying to educate us and raise us. Unfortunately, she actually passed away in May 2022, so really 40 days before my graduation. That was really hard for me because I've always wanted her to see me graduating. But she is proud of you. She is proud of you. You know that. Of course. I always feel like she's here with me, supporting me whenever I needed her. She's keeping me in her prayers always, and I know that she's in heaven. I pray, God, one day that we will all meet again. I've always put this in my vision, in my future goals, is how to make my mom even more proud of me. That's why I work hard. Right. Having gone through that at still a very young age and having some real successes in the world of broadcasting as a producer, when you reach out to other people who have stories, I would imagine that there is something in your heart and emotion that is very strong. And, April, your ability to connect with people must benefit from some of your experiences. Yeah. I guess my manager once told me that she was surprised how I can get guests on that many people tried before and they just refused to talk on radio or whatever. And I told her I always put myself in the guest's shoes. And the problem is I've done too many things. I've lost a loved one because of cancer. I have chronic disease myself. I was a war survivor. I came from a really closed community. So I've always put myself and just imagine how the guests would think. How would I think if someone came to me and reached me to be on radio, how I want people to reach me out. And this is how I do my job right now is just thinking of other people, keep them in my thoughts. I wonder if it's also difficult, though, when you know of life, you've lived a lot more life than many people your age. And seeing some things that are really difficult that even listening to your story, I would think that they are real challenges. And then sometimes people come up with different ideas. As a producer, you're there listening to many, many different ideas. Do you ever say to yourself, this story really doesn't matter. There are more significant things in the world. And think to yourself, you know, I've lived through so much more than this. And you're telling me this is a story you want to tell everybody. Does that become tough? I don't think so. I don't have this mindset because I feel like each story is really unique by itself. And I, of course, don't want other people to live my journey. So if a story might be like less harsh than my story, that doesn't invalid the story itself. You know what I mean? Still a story. It is still a story. It's still important. Still there are some people who care about it. So I don't need to care about all the stories in order to do them on air. Because, of course, there are lots of people who want to listen about this or just care about this topic because they have like, you know, they just have, they're like relevant to it. Right. Tell me about the move from Vancouver and CKNW to the sister station in Edmonton, Chedd. This was a really hard move because CKNW was really a family to me. And I, like when I came in Canada, I did not have any friends. I didn't know how to just like be a friend with a Canadian person. And people were like suggesting, oh, you should go to the Canadian community. I was like, no, I want to be a friend with Canadians. I want to be a Canadian myself. And I found this at CKNW. Everyone was my friend. They were like families. It's a good group. Yeah. I have Jerry and Talia. They were like, you know, siblings to me. So it was really hard to leave CKNW. But as I told you, I've always looked at how I'm going to make my mom even more proud of me. And that was through getting a full time job at Cors Entertainment in Edmonton. And just like be fully dependent on myself. Sorry, independent. And, you know, have my own apartment, live by myself and being able to support my family financially as well. So that's why I got the job at 630 Chedd. And also the team here is so nice, so friendly. And I felt like, yeah, they're really sweet with me. What lies ahead for you? So I just I want to be like a Middle East correspondent on TV. And I know it's hard to do it because the Middle East, unfortunately, has been always a war zone. But I do care about my people there in Syria. I do care about showing the beautiful part of Syria and how the people there are living right now. And, yeah, so that's like my biggest, biggest dream job. However, I want people to know that I'm really happy. I'm so grateful that I'm in this beautiful country surrounded by the sweetest people ever. An amazing Canadian story and a fantastic person with a bright career ahead. But, you know, more than that, Layla's story underscores a truth. We are lucky to have a new generation of broadcasters with the passion and depth to make this business thrive beyond any of its challenges. Broadcast Chronicles is written and hosted by Bruce Claggett. Music, follow your heart via upbeat. Graphic design, creative shovel. I'm Thara McKenzie. Subscribe to Broadcast Chronicles wherever you download your favorite podcasts. This has been a BFT Communications production.