#RealLifeStories: Alaa

“Keep going and believe in yourself, it is the most important thing. You will achieve what you want, it is all about patience and insistence.”

Those are the words of our former English project participant named Alaa, for anyone who has big dreams.Years after he left Aleppo, Alaa is finally going back to university. He is a Syrian newcomer in his mid- twenties who had to put his education in between brackets because of the situation in his home country.

But Alaa never stopped dreaming and working towards his dreams; finally his efforts paid off! After

following our English course consistently, he recently obtained the IELTS language certification that will enable him to pursue his academic career! He just started as a third-year architecture student in Eindhoven University of Technology.

His motivations were simple yet so strong: he wanted to prove himself that he could do it, that he should not let anything prevent him from completing the goals he already had in Syria.

Alaa also wants to spread a message of perseverance: he has been volunteering for UID for a year and has made a great impact on us all, especially other newcomers by helping them to navigate between English and Arabic. He hopes that his story of determination and hard work will remind those who are currently struggling to keep working hard, because good things will be coming up eventually!

Congratulations on your achievements Alaa, your UID family could not be prouder of you!#UnityInDiversity #IntegrationMatters #RefugeesWelcome #RealLifeStories