SUCCESS STORIES
REFUGEE STUDENTS AT
UNIVERSITY OF WESTGERN SYDNEY
"An immigrant leaves his homeland to find greener
grass.
A refugee leaves his homeland because the grass is
burning under his feet…“
Barbara Law, More Than Just Surviving Handbook: ESL for Every Classroom Teacher
Aim
Provide insight into the complex
processes that are involved as
refugee students pursue academic
achievement
 The
project will document successful
pathways through higher education
of refugee students enrolled at the
University of Western Sydney
Significance of project
Findings will


Exemplify the achievements of refugee students in
Higher
Education
Add another dimension to current debates on
widening
participation, access and retention



The students will then be involved in the production,
for publication, of ‘Life and Learning Stories’ (Case
Studies) of their experiences as undergraduates in
Higher Education
Online production of these stories
The information will also be used to write and
publish research articles in appropriate journals
Progress so far
Interviewed 6 students
Sudan – Somalia – Afghanistan - Iraq


Transcribed tapes

In the process of writing interviews as stories

Negotiating funding to publish stories online
 R: Throughout all the hardship and all
the harsh circumstances you witnessed,
what was the only thing that kept you going
and not let you give up?

Z: Life itself.
One should never surrender no matter how
many difficulties you encounter
so there is always hope to go on.
“Life itself”, she says, “life itself” and “one should never
surrender”. I’m not making this up. Life itself. The candle
drips. Outside, people starve. Inside, too.
She wanted to be a doctor but “life itself” she says, “there is
always hope to go on”. The heat that moves in waves. Like
an ocean. Like crossing an ocean. “We got passports and
traveled” she says. Just like that. 100 000 killed in combat
Or sleeping in their beds. Indirect casualties. The waves of
heat
that carried her. But “one” she says. “One” – I’m not making
this up – “one should never surrender, no matter how many
difficulties you encounter. So there is always hope”, she says,
“to go on”.


“In order to do hnours one’s GPA has to be 5. Mine is
4.8 but if God wills I will raise it to 5”.
“If God wills”, she says, “I will raise it to 5”.
And though I’m struck by the image of the divine
hand, smudged in red ink and reaching, in secret,
into her marker’s desk, her faith, in itself, is
beautiful.
“Language is the biggest barrier. I am not very
competent. Sometimes I encounter words in exams
that
I am not very familiar with and I start thinking that if
this
was my mother tongue and I was till in Iraq I can get
any
diploma I want, but now everybody finished the exam
and I
am the last one. It takes me a while to think about
unfamiliar words”

“I’ll find a way to live in both
countries”