According to UNHCR’s latest report, access to university education for refugees stands at only 1%. Meet Nicole* who has just enrolled at the University of Cyprus. She is among that global 1%.
Nicole*, a refugee student.
© UNHCR Cyprus
Nicosia – According to UNHCR’s latest report Left Behind: Refugee Education in Crisis, enrolment in tertiary education stands at 36% for the world’s youth. For refugees, however, despite big improvements in overall numbers thanks to investment in scholarships and other programmes, only 1% access a university education. UNHCR Cyprus recently had the opportunity to meet Nicole*, who has just enrolled at the University of Cyprus. She is among that global 1%. Read on to learn her story.
One in a hundred – A young refugee’s road to university education According to UNHCR’s latest report Left Behind: Refugee Education in Crisis, enrolment in tertiary education stands at 36% for the world’s youth. For refugees, however, despite big improvements in overall numbers thanks to investment in scholarships and other programmes, only 1% access a university education. UNHCR Cyprus recently had the opportunity to meet Nicole*, who has just enrolled at the University of Cyprus. She is among that global 1%. Read on to learn her story.
At just 18 years of age, Nicole is already an extraordinary young woman. A refugee from Congo who arrived at age four in Cyprus with her mother and siblings to be reunited with her father, she is now a first year Psychology student at the University of Cyprus, having graduated public school in Cyprus with an 18.5 GPA, just 1.5 points away from the highest grade. “I never had any private lessons,” she said. “I didn’t even know what they were until I was in high school.” Nicole chose UCY because she
knew that in order to be offered a place there, she had to have very high grades; the challenge to achieve this motivated her.
As a child, Nicole attended preschool without knowing any Greek. “Now looking back at having grown up with the language, I don’t even remember when I became fluent – it’s just part of my life.” In fact Nicole is fluent in four languages – Swahili, French, English and Greek. In her extracurricular life she is also an excellent track athlete and she plays the piano, the violin and sings.
When asked how her school years in Cyprus were, she speaks of her positive experience throughout, though she is aware that this is not true for many other children. “I
always felt welcomed by teachers and by fellow classmates. There is one racist incident that stays in my memory, but overall I really think I was very lucky.” Nicole is indeed lucky to have the love and support of her parents. “They have faced a lot of challenges,” says Nicole. “But many of them they didn’t even allow us to realise. I look at them and say, ‘if they can do it, so can I.’”
She explains that being a refugee means always having additional work to do, whether it is overcoming language barriers, or learning how to fit in, to facing prejudice and being thoughtful in all interactions with other people. “I learned to manage my emotions, not to let them manage me,” Nicole explains. “Also the hard work I put in did not only benefit me, but set a positive example for my younger siblings.” Her warm personality, commitment to always working hard, and boundless positivity have clearly carried her a long way. “I love life,” she says. “We must always make the best of it, and be grateful, to count our blessings not our hardships. Without the experiences I have had, I simply wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Nicole’s future looks bright, and we look forward to seeing her career and life-path develop. “I always knew I wanted to grow up and do something important, to help people, to make a change.” Maybe she will go on to work with other refugee youth like herself. For now, she shares advice from her personal experience, in particular for those young people who have not only had to flee their homeland, but have lost or left behind their families as well.
“You must always see your experience, however hard it seems, as something positive. Take things step-by-step; have realistic expectations of yourself and the situation; be patient with yourself and the situation. Above all, always keep trying. It’s how you see things and your attitude that makes the difference. And always commend yourself. Things don’t stop happening, challenges will always come, and life keeps moving. But remember, you won’t get ‘there’ if you get stuck ‘here’.”
Despite their potential, young refugees in Cyprus are greatly disadvantaged in accessing university education, as well as technical and vocational training. It is vital that the government and higher education institutions provide more schemes enabling refugees to attend university under the same conditions as nationals. To facilitate this, secondary school students need more academic support through extra-curricular programming and tutoring so they can meet the standards for higher education. The journey may be long and sometimes arduous, but as in Nicole’s example, the prize of higher education at the end can be a powerful motivator. UNHCR Cyprus has recently entered a partnership with the University of Nicosia to support refugees in Cyprus, including a scholarship programme creating higher education opportunities for refugees. We appeal to other higher education institutions across Cyprus to offer similar openings to young refugees, and raising the numbers from just one in a hundred who make it to tertiary education.
*Name changed for protection reasons
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