StemCell Therapy

A SYRIAN refugee who arrived in Ireland just three years ago after fleeing her war-torn country has been awarded a prestigious scholarship after acing her Leaving Cert exams.

Suaad Alshleh, 17, who was granted asylum in Ireland with her parents in 2016, secured a place studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) this September.

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And Suaad says she wants to be an inspiration for other teens who are living in direct provision that they can escape the system and achieve their dreams.

She said: Being in direct provision was probably one of the hardest times of my life, it was definitely very tough.

"A lot of people dont understand how tough it is. But I powered through it.

There was an incredible support from the community itself.

"Even the people running the direct provision, they provided a lot of support for me. Despite it being a horrible tough process, youll find nice people everywhere.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. These first few weeks in college, when Im sitting down and just having a chance to reflect, its an incredible feeling to have made it here.

I want to be a success story for a refugee to show people what you can do, even if you are a refugee. I want to represent Syria and refugees, in general, in a good way.

"I hope to be a success story to show that you can escape direct provision and that if communities are helpful and supportive, youll get through."

Suaads parents Wisam and Isham, who are both engineers, fled Syria back in 2011 after the civil war broke out which has since displaced more than 5.6million people.

The family first moved to United Arab Emirates where they stayed for four years before moving to Ireland.

They were then placed in a direct provision centre in Monaghan where Suuad and her mother were separated from dad, Isham.

Suuad says staying in the centre was terrible and admits studying for her exams was very difficult under the circumstances.

But she says shes grateful that they were given the opportunity to stay there.

She said: It was terrible, I was only 14 and I was away from my dad too.

My mother and I were in a room that wasnt very big. There was the issue of food and I was used to my mothers home cooking, it was very difficult.

It was one of the hardest moments of my life. Those nine months, I kind of just block them out but look where I am now. Without that experience I probably wouldnt be here.

But I dont see any alternative to direct provision. The fact that Ireland is taking in refugees is incredible and it would be great if communities continue to be accepting in future.

The family moved from Monaghan to Portlaoise where Suaad attended school in nearby Mountmellick.

Suaad fit straight in, she says, and credits the community for being so welcoming.

She said: When I moved there, I sort of looked like an alien.

"Many people didnt know why I wore my scarf and I was the first person many people had interacted with who wasnt Irish even. I was just different but people were very accepting.

When I moved to Mountmellick, I was also an alien there but I made loads of friends and they were so accepting of me as well. Im very lucky in the sense that I havent faced anything major.

Obviously being a new student in school in general is difficult but I havent faced any added difficulty because of how I look or where Im from and I think thats been wonderful.

Despite now calling Ireland home, Suaad says she would love to return to Syria someday.

She says she will be eternally grateful to her parents, however, for making the brave decision to flee their home country before it was too late.

She said: My parents were very good in the sense that they got us out before I could experience anything major in Syria. It saddens me when I think of it, because its a very big part of my identity.

They have made massive sacrifices for me, to uproot their lives at their age and to go somewhere completely different where they dont know the language. Theyve had to rely on me for a lot for that. I reallyappreciate everything they did for me, I hope Im making them proud.

Today, Suaad was awarded the Professor William C Campbell Bursary by Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD.

Minister McHugh said he was delighted to award Suaad with the scholarship after everything shes been through.

Minister McHugh said: Our aim with the Bill Campbell bursary was first of all to recognise a Donegal man who worked to become a giant in the world of science and preventative medicine.

But I also want to see us use Bills life, legacy and works to motivate the next generation of students to follow in his footsteps, to replicate his ambitions and dedication and to work to transform the lives of others.

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I am delighted to be able to offer the scholarship to Suaad Alshleh.

"She is an inspiration and I hope she enjoys her studies at such a prestigious institution as the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland.

"Professor Campbells legacy is something that we should build on and by supporting students like Suaad and others in the coming years we can do that.

Go here to read the rest:
Syrian refugee who arrived in Ireland three years ago awarded scholarship to study medicine after acing - The Irish Sun

This entry was posted on November 8, 2019 at 10:46 am and is filed under Preventative Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |