It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Just 18 years old, starring in a television film shot and co-produced in Australia. Her school wasn’t as thrilled as she was, as her grades spiraled. But Amira Dimikiran understood the stakes and stayed focused, spending five weeks for the shoot in Australia, and then finishing out her school year on time. “It was tough but definitely worth it all, she says with a sly grin.

Her talent was spotted early. At six, Amira was attending music classes with her sister, dancing, singing, and playing around like a regular kid. “Two agents approached me and my sister, from one of those modeling agencies,” she recalls. After going on a few shoots, she made the transition into acting, enrolling in an acting school for kids and performing in plays and musicals.

Growing up in a war-torn country, it was hard to hold onto a vision of what life could be. But Wael Kreiker still enjoyed the simple pleasures. “As a kid growing up in Syria,” he says, “I loved to watch films and TV shows. It helped me feel connected to the larger world. I wondered how I could feel so much by just watching.”

In 2015 Wael fled from Syria to Germany. After a grueling, months-long journey, he landed in Schwerin and set about learning a new language and a new way of life. Eventually, he says, “I had to start thinking about work.” He didn’t consider that his love for American television might eventually motivate him to become an actor.