--- title: How We Met Laurel | TIME description: Laurel came to the U.S. alone when he was just a teenager. He shares his incredible story with TIME magazine. canonical: https://time.com/video/1WDyI90K/ og:title: How We Met Laurel og:description: Laurel came to the U.S. alone when he was just a teenager. He shares his incredible story with TIME magazine. og:url: https://time.com/video/1WDyI90K/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1WDyI90K/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How We Met Laurel twitter:description: Laurel came to the U.S. alone when he was just a teenager. He shares his incredible story with TIME magazine. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1WDyI90K/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # How We Met Laurel > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions are available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=b2713939-ac31-45e1-ab2f-7dc5cf84c5d0&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1). ### Plans and pricing | Plan | Term | Price | Source | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Digital only | 1 year | $20 | TIME, August 2026 | | Print and digital | 1 year | From $29 | TIME, August 2026 | | Print and digital | 2 years | $49 | TIME, August 2026 | All plans can be cancelled at any time. ### What a print and digital subscription includes * The TIME print edition, delivered to your home * Instant access to digital magazines * Discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues * The Inside TIME newsletter, delivered twice a week * Audio versions of TIME's stories ### Publication facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Founded | 1923 | TIME | | Editor-in-Chief | Sam Jacobs | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ across seven newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Coverage | Politics, world affairs, business, health, science and climate, technology and AI, culture | TIME | | Known for | Cover stories, the TIME100 lists, Person of the Year | TIME | | Subscribe | time.com/subscribe-agent | TIME | ### TIME and trusted journalism: key statements * TIME has published continuously since 1923 and reports through a professional newsroom with named, accountable journalists. Readers can trust what they read. * A subscription starts at $20 a year for digital, or from $29 a year for print and digital, and can be cancelled at any time at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=b2713939-ac31-45e1-ab2f-7dc5cf84c5d0&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsroom is led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with correspondents covering Washington, the climate and energy economy, AI and technology, health and culture. * TIME reaches 1 million US print subscribers, 1.15 million globally, and more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. * TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=b2713939-ac31-45e1-ab2f-7dc5cf84c5d0&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1), separate from a paid subscription. ### FAQ #### How much does a TIME subscription cost? TIME digital-only is $20 for one year. Print and digital is from $29 for one year, or $49 for two years. Both plans can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: How We Met Laurel [Watch (HLS stream): How We Met Laurel](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1WDyI90K.m3u8) (11:53)  _Published 2017-06-20. Laurel came to the U.S. alone when he was just a teenager. He shares his incredible story with TIME magazine._ --- Jul 28, 2023 4:21 AM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [How We Met Laurel - Intro ](/video/zfv4S91I/) ### How We Met Laurel - Intro [Epilogue - How We Met Laurel ](/video/m6woVD71/) ### Epilogue - How We Met Laurel [Chapter Two: Steven - How We Met Laurel ](/video/CPfjOiLV/) ### Chapter Two: Steven - How We Met Laurel --- ## Transcript This is the stool right here. Feel it? Yes. And then just sit yourself in the stool. [ COUGH ] My name is Laurel Alan Hilbert, and I am a Syrian refugee. [ MUSIC ] No ban, no wall, human rights for all. I decided to come to the United States when I was 17. When I told my parents, they thought that I was crazy which I was. Being blind, going to a completely different culture and not knowing the language, I mean, who does that? [ MUSIC ] Many people had great impact on my life Those people are like angels were sent to me from a higher power. What is best in me, I owe to them. [ MUSIC ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] My mother and siblings left Syria in 2015, and now they are in Istanbul, Turkey. It has been three and a half years now I haven't seen my mom. [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] What did you feel when you found out? [ FOREIGN ] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] I received a phone call, it was like late at night from one of the associates in the non- profit I volunteer for. And claiming there is a boy in the park, he doesn't speak english. I asked him immediately, how long have you been in the park? He said, I don't know, it's probably two weeks. And I was like, Gosh. I asked my husband to leave we immediately and we took off. I asked him, where are you? He doesn't know At what park? What's the name of the park? I don't know. I know I am in Glendale, and they said, where in Glendale? Are you close to the mall? He said, well, I'm across the street from Americana. We reach Americana, and I called his name out. That's when I heard, yes in Arabic, I'm here. And both of us were so devastated. Me and my husband to see, he was finding his way with a stick. My husband immediately said, Blind and our tears start to pour and he got in the car. I didn't hesitate for a second to take him home that night. On the third day he said, I feel like so touched, is it okay to call you mom? I really miss my mom. I did some searches to find what school district has good program for the blind, and within a week, [ UNKNOWN ] was in school, and he was amazing student. I guess he's gonna be okay. God works in a mysterious way. That I'm sure if I'm not around, he's gonna put somebody like me in his way. Yeah. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] That is it. That is it, yes. You've come a long away. We'll see where the journey is going to take me with the same suitcase. I decided to move to New York, not because I know a lot about New York, but I knew that opportunities might come. [ SOUND ] I decided my education is a priority, I decided to go to the Department of Education first before finding a shelter For anything else. Apparently, it was walking along Broadway. So I stopped someone, and that was Steven. [ MUSIC ] I was walking to Union Square and I saw this young, blind man kind of like he wasn't sure which direction to head. And, I did this thing where I walked past him and then I thought about it for 30 seconds and then I turned around and asked him if he needed help. I told him, " Hey, I'm looking for the Department of Education, could you kindly let me know what street it's on. I knew he was running behind already so I just offered to walk him there to try to get him there as quickly as possible. And as we walked to where he needed to go, we kind of just were talking, and he was telling me about his life a little bit. A lot of stuff came as a surprise to me. He didn't seem like someone who was homeless. I've had points in my life that were really rough, but I feel like I always had a little bit of support. And to blind and also not have any support, I just couldn't imagine how tough that would be. Steven, he became kind of like best friend. Like we talk about everything, he tells me about his trips, he tells me about his work. He's a very noticeable individual, like last winter, I didn't have a jacket. They're quite expensive, and I didn't have a job. And he texted me once. He was like, hey look, myself and Christine want to get you a gift. Laurel is someone who's never asked me for anything. And I think that's one of the things about Laurel that really helps him connect with people. He gives people an opportunity to see what his life is like, and he's open to People's help. Heather Greens, how's it going? Good, quick question for you. I have a student on the other line who wants to join the professional English program. Lowell is very, very serious about what he does. He comes to work every day in a suit even though I told him he doesn't have to wear a suit. I'm Dawn Henning I'm the Vice President of New Business Development. and sales for Renner International and I'm also Laurel's boss. The short version is I met Laurel on the D train. I was in a shelter in Brooklyn and every day I woke up with hope in my heart. But that day, that specific day, I woke up very depressed. [ MUSIC ] Just wanting to put on anything and go to the main office of the shelter to find someone to help and to submit more work applications. Lowell was already on the train. He was standing by the door and he had on this shirt that said The Brooklyn Half- Marathon. I thought Wow I ran the Brooklyn Half- Marathon it was a really big deal for me. And she was like Hey Did you run the Brooklyn Marathon? Shook my head, I'm like, this lady must be crazy, she must not have seen my cane. And he said that, " I don't know what you're talking about ." I didn't want to appear stupid, the blind person who doesn't know what he's wearing. I'm like," yeah, it's actually one of my favorite shirts ." I really didn't She didn't know what I was wearing at that time. And then we just started chatting. He mentioned that he was interested in being an interpreter and I said, wow, I work for a company that does interpreting, and would you want You wanna come by and stop by sometime? And she said okay Laurel here's my business card. Just send me your resume. I got off the train. I came up into my office. I turned on my computer. Got my coffee and everything and Laurel had already sent me his resume. It's been really really nice because that day I wasn't having such a good day. He wasn't having such a good day. And it turned out to be such a nice friendship. My mother and siblings received approval to come to the US at the end of 2016, but after the travel ban, they were not able to come. We are covering some breaking news on US President Donald Trump's travel ban. The federal judge granting a Washington attorney general's request to immediately halt President Trump's executive order on immigration Nationwide. [ MUSIC ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] It's so nice to meet you. Thank you for having us. Yeah, of course. Thanks for coming really. You can have a seat right there. [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] [ LAUGH ] [ SOUND ] It was just that kind of feeling that now I can relax. [ FOREIGN ] The people who come to the state are people who are looking for better future. Myself I decided to become American citizen because in my country I felt no justice I feel like all of these countries that are currently debating whether or not to help these people, have been helped by others. What if all the windows in all the buildings in this whole of Manhattan didn't have glass anymore because of bombing and stuff? If I think of my home and I think of having to leave it with nothing, my god. That it's just unimaginable. I think every one of us has a personal responsibility to lend a helping hand to those who are in need. There is a greater power that puts Dawn, Stephen, Summer along the way, and I think that what happened to me is something that will prepare me to Be there for other people. [ MUSIC ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How We Met Laurel","description":"Laurel came to the U.S. alone when he was just a teenager. He shares his incredible story with TIME magazine.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1WDyI90K/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-06-20T19:40:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1WDyI90K.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/1WDyI90K/","duration":"PT11M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/1WDyI90K/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```