Refugees' stunning school success'
 | | Camden Mayor Councillor Barbara Hughes presents Nalufar
(left) and Osob with their awards |
TEENAGE refugees have been awarded for their "stunning success" at school.
Nalufar Hedayat and Osob Abdi Ismail, both 17, received awards for significant academic achievement at the fourth annual Refugee Achievement Award Ceremony.
The event is a celebration of refugee and asylum seekers contributions to all aspects of school life.
Nelufar, who went to Haverstock School in Crogsland Road, where she chaired the student council, part of the school's buddy system and a volunteer for after school clubs.
Her family fled Afghanistan where they were being persecuted for being liberal and educated, when she was six.
She said: "We fled for our lives. To have to leave your country is a most horrible thing.
"I started from scratch, didn't know about Western countries or Western life and didn't speak a word of English."
She added: "People tend to believe everything they read in the media about asylum seekers and refugees.
"They have preconceptions about me because I'm Afghani. I have to prove their preconceptions wrong."
Osob, from St Pancras Way, took her GCSEs at Parliament Hill School in Highgate Road, Kentish Town, and is now studying for her A-Levels at La Swap.
She got four A stars, three As, a B and a C in her GCSEs and is hoping to study Biochemistry at university.
When she was six, her family fled Somalia to escape the civil war.
She said: "I don't remember a lot about Somalia.
"I remember a lot of shooting. A lot of my family were injured or killed."
She added: "When I moved here I was young but I grew up quickly because of my background.
"Education is important to my family and I take it seriously, I didn't want extra help because of my background. I wanted to show I could do it on my own. So it's great to get recognition
Camden Mayor Councillor Barbara Hughes (Labour), who presented the certificates, said: "This event is a celebration of what refugees and asylum seekers accomplish.
"Most do very well despite the problems of adapting to a new country and education system.
"They are an excellent example to other pupils.
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