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Now I’m sitting in the café of Leeds Playhouse, drinking my iced latte and writing this story — the story of a life I never would have chosen, but one I now carry with purpose.

Maybe you know me by my smile,
By my strength,
Or by the calmness in my voice.

But what you may not know is that this strength didn’t come from nowhere.
Behind that calm, there is a long story — of silence, of loss, of patience… and then of rising again.

I didn’t write this to gain sympathy or to be seen.
I wrote it because there’s a part of me that can only be understood through this journey.
And if you ever saw something beautiful in me know that beauty was shaped by pain, nourished by hope, and built through self-belief.

This is my story.
I share it with a voice that may tremble, but speaks the truth.
And if you read it with your heart — you’ll truly know who I am.

From Exile to Empowerment: My Journey Through Education

I come from a place where I watched the people I loved lose everything.
I felt powerless to help them.
I carried a heart full of pain, and a mind determined to survive.

I left behind the home where I was born, the school where I once studied, the voices of my friends, and the safety of my family.

I had to start over — from nothing — and fight to change a destiny that was never mine to choose.

Even the feelings I once buried deep inside — I refused to let them break me.
I transformed them into strength.
I blocked out the sound of bombs that once made my body tremble.
I chose to rise.


It wasn’t easy to continue my education.
Sometimes, it didn’t even feel possible to continue living.

The first challenge was the language.
The second, even harder: a sense of belonging.
There were days I felt lost, invisible — like I had no place in the world around me.

It took years to overcome that feeling.
But with time, I realized something powerful:
My differences are not a weakness — they are my strength.
I no longer need to “fit in” because I’ve created a colourful world of my own.


I still remember my first day at my new school — Year 11.
I didn’t understand the language.
My hands were shaking. My heart was heavy with doubt.

But I sat there and I listened.
Even when I understood nothing.
Even when I cried quietly at the end of the day.
I came back the next morning — because I knew I had already come too far to stop.

I wasn’t just learning English.
I was learning the language of resilience.
The language of self-belief.
The language of hope.

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Little by little, things began to change.

I found people who supported me — teachers who saw potential in me,
Friends who didn’t care where I came from, but who I was becoming.
Even my best friend — someone I now consider family — entered my life during that time.

At the end of that year, I passed some of my modules… and I failed the rest.
But failure didn’t break me — it woke me up.

I moved forward, determined.
I passed my GCSEs.
Every exam wasn’t just a grade — it was a small victory over fear, over doubt, over everything that once held me back.

I took part in courses, volunteered in different roles, and opened myself to every opportunity I could find.

And slowly, something incredible happened.
I met people who believed in me — not as a refugee, not as a girl from far away — but as a human being with purpose.

Their belief in me became the wind behind my steps.
With every experience, I became more confident.
I knew I belonged.
I knew I had something to give.
And I knew I was no longer walking this path alone.


Then & Now

Today, I carry my past not as a burden, but as a source of power.

I’ve turned my pain into energy — the kind that uplifts others, supports those who feel alone, and reminds people that they are stronger than they think.

Now, I have a job.
I am a Law student  — something I never imagined when I first arrived.
Creativity gave me confidence. And now, I’m using that confidence to build a future — one where I can defend others, stand for justice, and make a difference.

I’m also a writer
Through creative writing, I turn emotions into stories not just to express what I’ve lived, but to heal, to connect, and to remind others that they are not alone.

My journey is not over.
But I now walk it with pride, not fear.
Because I know that even after being broken, it is possible to rebuild — not just yourself, but the world around you.

Now, I am stronger.
I am confident.
I am brave.
I am a person who chose to never give up — and never will.