In a photo taken Saturday, May 21, 2016, Mohamad Bassel Khair poses for The Associated Press in his home in Clifton, N.J. Khair, of Damascus, Syria, is graduating from Montclair State University with a master's in nutrition and food science and is now seeking asylum in the U.S. for his family, including a 2-year-old son. Before applying to the New Jersey school in 2015, he and his wife had fled Syria to Egypt, where they couldn't legally work. "They gave me a full scholarship, including rooming," Khair said. "They were so helpful for me." (AP Photo/Julio Cortez), APTOPIX