Oceane Maher: UT Law exhange student stays in Israel 'to help in any way that I can' amid conflict
AUSTIN, TEXAS: University of Texas junior and native French speaker Oceane Maher has chosen to stay back in Israel to help with the humanitarian catastrophe during the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Maher traveled to Israel a week ago as a foreign exchange student to attend Tel Aviv University, but the war broke out over the weekend.
The Austin resident and UT Law student said, "I don't want to just flee. I want to help in any way that I can," as per CBS Austin.
She has remained behind and collected donations for citizens in high-conflict areas instead of leaving for Texas. From halfway around the world, her parents in Austin are following the events on social media.
Oceane Maher was the owner of Evo Model Management
Having experience in both business and modeling, University of Texas student Maher previously owned and operated Evo Model Management.
As a devoted runner in high school, Maher created her own network to cover cross-country and track events.
She did on-camera interviews with elite runners, including Olympic medalists, and covered events ranging from the Texas Relays to the Junior Olympics.
As per Evo Model's official website, MileSplit often picked up Maher's coverage.
Maher was forced to stop running at the age of 19 to seek help for her anorexia. She eventually came to the realization that she no longer had a passion for running and shifted her attention to the fashion sector.
After experimenting with the fashion and running sectors, Maher has currently shifted her interest to "international law, human rights and counterterrorism."
Maher's LinkedIn bio reads: "I’m a 3L at the University of Texas School of Law, interested in international law, human rights and counterterrorism. Over the past summer I worked with the Yazidi Legal Network doing legal work and advocacy related to the 2014 Yazidi Genocide at the hands of ISIS."
"My work prompted me to travel to Iraq in the fall where I conducted research on asymmetrical warfare involving Turkish military operations in the Kurdistan region."
"This spring break, I led an iTrek trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories for Texas law and policy students to gain insight into the legal, political, cultural and religious complexities of the region," it continued.
Oceane Maher woke up to rocket alerts on her phone
Maher received a rocket alarm on her phone when she awoke on Saturday, October 7, morning. She was aware that Israel often experienced such alerts, but this one was different.
"I didn't realize the magnitude of it and as we got more and more information it became apparent that this isn't a normal conflict. This is a real war," she declared.
Maher further stated, "I think what's going on right now is ultimately hurting both [sides]. Civilians are being murdered and taken as hostages and it's not going to end well for either side."
As consumers stock up on food, grocery stores are busy and often, shelves are already bare. The videos by Maher show smoke rising in the background as bombs strike Tel Aviv.
"I don't just want to sit at home and do nothing. I want to help in any way I can and I'm not a soldier so this is what I can do," Maher added.
What did Oceane Maher's parents say about her brave act?
Maher's parents began pleading with her to return home with her father Tom Maher saying, "She was pretty defiant she was not going to come home. She probably has the right temperament to be a lawyer."
Tom said that they had earlier found themselves desiring for their daughter to be removed from a dangerous situation abroad.
Maher had just finished an internship when turmoil erupted in Kurdistan in November 2022. Despite persistent mobile phone alerts about nearby rockets, the UT Law student was adamant this time about staying put.
Her father is aware that his daughter and her friends are driven by their love of human rights.
Tom added, "She has to make a choice. We respect her choice, but that doesn't mean we don't convince her to try and modify it. At this point our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that's being impacted."
"I'm watching Instagram. She's in a taxi full of supplies talking about being from Texas with the taxi driver and you're like... maybe just head towards a safer place than a military base at this moment," remarked the concerned father.