Interview with a Moroccan

Interview with Walid, Tour Director for Morocco Study Abroad

Sutton: Thank you for joining me today, Walid. Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Walid: Of course. I’m originally from Meknes, Morocco, and I studied photography and business. My love for culture and storytelling really started through the lens of a camera.

Sutton: That’s amazing. How did you become involved with ISA Meknes and WorldStrides?

Walid: It actually began through my local service club. They introduced me to international exchange programs, and I was lucky enough to be recommended for a role with ISA. I started helping with logistics, then worked my way up to tour director for WorldStrides Morocco.

Sutton: What’s been the most meaningful part of your job?

Walid: Definitely watching students’ perspectives change as they explore Morocco. I love showing them parts of my culture that you can’t find in textbooks—especially through food, architecture, and conversation.

Sutton: You studied photography—do you have any advice for students trying to capture Morocco on camera?

Walid: Don’t just focus on the landmarks. Look for small, everyday moments: people at the market, cats sunbathing in the medina, or geometric patterns in tile. Also don't forget to always ask permission before photographing people. 

What I learned:

Walid was a very charismatic tour director and easy to speak to. He had a lot of creative interests, and after this interview we continued to talk where I got the opportunity to learn more about him. He studied business for a time, then photography, and now works on a free lance basis as a photographer for local businesses in Meknes. In addition to that,  Walid had very similar music tastes to me, and he also produced his own music. Learning more about Walid allowed to see my interests in him, and I was able to further learn about what obstacles are in the way fo Walid, for example costs of cameras in the Moroccan economy, or lack of music available to the market, etc.