2015 - Syria is ripped apart by civil war, relentless bombings, and dire living conditions. A 15-year-old girl flees Damascus and makes her way to the UK, giving up her home and her dreams for a shot at survival. 5 years later, and Maya Ghazal is an acclaimed advocate for education, ambassador to the UNHCR and, drumroll please...the first female Syrian refugee pilot.
After arriving in the UK, and being settled with the help of The Children's Agency, a national charity that supports vulnerable children and young people, Maya decided to turn feelings of isolation and homesickness into a chance to support others like her. Maya launched an advocacy campaign to spread her story and raise awareness about a crisis that many felt they could turn a blind eye to. Her compelling and passionate way of communicating with others soon earned her the role of ambassador for The Children's Agency, invited as an inspirational volunteer speaker to numerous events.
According to The Children's Society:
At the age of 18 "Maya Ghazal was called to St James’ Palace to accept an inaugural Diana Legacy Award, marking 20 years since Princess Diana’s passing and highlighting the achievements of 20 exceptional young people from across the world for their selfless commitment to transforming the lives of others.
The Diana Legacy Award chose Maya as one of 20 outstanding young people who embody the late Princess’ qualities of compassion, kindness and service. She faced huge challenges at a very young age but drew on the support of The Children’s Society to rebuild a life in the UK and now has a bright future ahead."
But Maya hasn't stopped there: she is now studying Aviation Engineering at Brunel University, en route to becoming the first female Syrian refugee pilot, a leader in her field not just for refugees but for women in STEM. She has been chosen as a speaker for numerous global events, including a UNHCR reception at the Palace of Westminster and the global social forum on Education, as well as being a Co-Sponsor of the Education session at the first-ever Global Refugee Forum.
It is not often we hear stories of refugees breaking boundaries and challenging the stereotypes we trap them in - rather the media prefers to see them as victims, entrapped in a constant tragedy of war, poverty and if they manage to escape those, xenophobia. But refugees are everywhere among us - they are the doctors fighting on the frontline of the NHS, the teachers giving young children a future they were robbed of, the researchers developing groundbreaking vaccines and fighting cancer. Refugees are heroes not just because they survive but because they thrive and push our world forward. So where is the platform that celebrates this?
There is so much to see and so much to celebrate of the achievements of refugees in our society - but without real recognition, we will always be locking away real opportunity for refugees to push the boundaries of development and reshape our world. Maya Gazel is a tribute to how creating a single platform for her voice to be heard created opportunities for thousands more refugees who could relate and follow in her footsteps. But it is not just refugees whom her story has something to teach - her TED talk entitled "Education, Aspiration and Compassion" has a message for everyone on how to live day by day and how to thrive no matter the hardship.
This is one woman and one refugee among many to honour and celebrate, and let her be a model for refugees as the heroes, not victims of our society!
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