Syrian refugee student wins state scholarship

SchrodingersCat · 07-11-2019 1:43am #1

A nice immigration story in the news this morning, for a change.

A 17-year-old Syrian refugee who has become the recipient of a new State scholarship for students, has spoken of the great welcome and support that her family have received from Irish communities since they arrived here three years ago.

Suaad Alshleh is a first year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons and was awarded the Professor William C Campbell bursary, worth €5,000, today.

Suaad came to Ireland with her mother at the age of 14, seeking refuge from the war in Syria. Her father joined them shortly after.

Suaad came to Ireland with her mother at the age of 14, seeking refuge from the war in Syria. Her father joined them shortly after.

Suaad spent her first year here in living in Direct Provision with her mother.

"It was incredibly difficult", she tells RTÉ News. "It was probably the toughest time of my life." Suaad says thinking about that time brings tears to her eyes "so I try to block those months from my memory".

She says the thing she missed most during that time was her mother's cooking, which she says would have brought her "comfort".

Suaad’s mother and father are both engineers but Suaad says she has always wanted to be a doctor.

https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2019/1106/1089120-syrian-student/

The Satanist · 07-11-2019 1:48am

Best of luck to Suaad and her family.

lozenges · 07-11-2019 3:30am

Good for her. Well deserved.

Woodsie1 · 07-11-2019 3:43am

Delighted for her.
We could do with a few more like her rather than the scroungers who try sponge of us.

suicide_circus · 07-11-2019 4:24am

best of luck to her

Dj Stiggie · 07-11-2019 4:46am

The thread title worried me, but I'm glad to see the positive post.

Best of luck to her and her family.

derfderf · 07-11-2019 4:52am

First year medical student at 17 after fleeing a war? That's incredible.

07-11-2019 5:39am

Coming over here robbing my place in medical school *shakes fist*.

derfderf wrote: »

First year medical student at 17 after fleeing a war? That's incredible.

Extraordinary stuff.

Gatling · 07-11-2019 8:39am

Several years living in UAE before coming here , seems the family fled a safe country .

Wonder if we would see a thread on Irish students getting scholarship .

LillySV · 07-11-2019 8:44am

Gatling wrote: »

Several years living in UAE before coming here , seems the family fled a safe country .

Wonder if we would see a thread on Irish students getting scholarship .

She did so well that they gave her a scholarship....yet I can’t see her results mentioned anywhere!?

splinter65 · 07-11-2019 8:47am

LillySV wrote: »

She did so well that they gave her a scholarship....yet I can’t see her results mentioned anywhere!?

You need to get 600+ Points in the LC to do medicine in Uni.
Are you suggesting she didn’t get the points for some reason? Why do you think that?

suicide_circus · 07-11-2019 8:51am

Gatling wrote: »

Several years living in UAE before coming here , seems the family fled a safe country

i knew there was going to be a catch

dvdman1 · 07-11-2019 8:52am

A lot of string pulling in our media..baaaah!

LillySV · 07-11-2019 8:52am

splinter65 wrote: »

You need to get 600+ Points in the LC to do medicine in Uni.
Are you suggesting she didn’t get the points for some reason? Why do you think that?

I stated that her results weren’t published.... why not ?

Wanderer78 · 07-11-2019 8:56am

Some irish people are just fcuking weird, outraged over a foreign girl getting a scholarship, fcuking hell!

Snotty · 07-11-2019 8:58am

UAE weren't going to pay her 5k or almost free education.
Well done to her, but don't make it out that her and her family are anything other than economic migrants.

gozunda · 07-11-2019 8:58am

Fair play to the girl for her achievements. However that is a woefully written article.

This:

Suaad spent her first year here in living in Direct Provision with her mother.

"It was incredibly difficult", she tells RTÉ News. "It was probably the toughest time of my life." Suaad says thinking about that time brings tears to her eyes "so I try to block those months from my memory".

It would appear that the article is implying that the worst period in the girls life was one year of direct provision provided free by the state - despite having to flee with her family as refugees from war torn Syria via the UAE ...

The mind boggles ...

eviltwin · 07-11-2019 8:59am

LillySV wrote: »

I stated that her results weren’t published.... why not ?

Why would they be? The college doesn't just take any recipient. The person still have to meet their entry requirements. I think we can assume she's got the smarts to study medicine

Beechwoodspark · 07-11-2019 8:59am

Best of luck to her

I’ve no issue with genuine refugees and she is one.

Still waters · 07-11-2019 9:02am

Well done to her, i wonder are her parents in employment as they're both engineers, i also hope she'll stay and contribute to irish society if/when she qualifies, i wish her all the best

LillySV · 07-11-2019 9:07am

eviltwin wrote: »

Why would they be? The college doesn't just take any recipient. The person still have to meet their entry requirements. I think we can assume she's got the smarts to study medicine[/quote

Normally when a person gets a scholarship and receives public acknowledgement for their achievements, their results are published. It didn’t happen here though

I think if someone is getting a scholarship (money from public purse) it should be clear why .... achievement stated etc

And I’m referring to anyone who gets scholarship... whether they Irish, Syrian. American , British ..,..

dvdman1 · 07-11-2019 9:34am

Soft Propaganda is alive and well, this story sprouted from RTE and spread to the outlets....it gives a nice soft backing up of Leos migrant speech this week, what a coincidence.

The positive migrant seeds are nicely sown in our racist irish minds.

Tasfasdf · 07-11-2019 9:38am

Why are rte telling us of this one girl achievement, sure aren't all immigrants from Syria highly educated engineers and doctors etc.

splinter65 · 07-11-2019 9:41am

LillySV wrote: »

I stated that her results weren’t published.... why not ?

You think the body that awarded the scholarship should have to prove to you that she got the points? Why? It’s not your money, it’s not your business.
She’s won the scholarship because she’s demonstrated that she achieved academic excellence despite starting her secondary education from a position of severe disadvantage to most of the other students in her year.
Unless you are suggesting that medical school are admitting her without her having achieved the required academic standard.
Is that what you’re suggesting?
Why would they take that risk?
Also, do you demand to see the academic record of everyone who gets into medical school here or just those you feel should have to show their record, like refugees?

Igotadose · 07-11-2019 9:43am

LillySV wrote: »

I stated that her results weren’t published.... why not ?

Hey, why don't you share yours?

Little envious, maybe?

Omackeral · 07-11-2019 9:45am

I know it's a meme at this stage but these people are literally doctors and engineers. There should be absolutely nothing negative about this here you would think but people will still have a whinge no doubt!

Omackeral · 07-11-2019 9:47am

"Snotty wrote: »

Well done to her, but don't make it out that her and her family are anything other than economic migrants.

Literally engineers and a doctor-in-the making. They'll benefit society. What's the problem?

Beechwoodspark · 07-11-2019 9:47am

Even though I wish her all the best it is slightly odd that the full story behind this scholarship hasn’t been told

Where’s the transparency on this one?

Omackeral · 07-11-2019 9:48am

Tasfasdf wrote: »

Why are rte telling us of this one girl achievement, sure aren't all immigrants from Syria highly educated engineers and doctors etc.

These literally are that and people still aren't happy lol

weldoninhio · 07-11-2019 9:49am

splinter65 wrote: »

You need to get 600+ Points in the LC to do medicine in Uni.
Are you suggesting she didn’t get the points for some reason? Why do you think that?

She got 500 odd points, 540 I think.

Edit: 584, it’s 729 points to qualify for RCSI. Spent 5 years in Dubai before coming here for “asylum”. Was there a war in Syria in 2010/11??

splinter65 · 07-11-2019 9:50am

Igotadose wrote: »

Hey, why don't you share yours?

Little envious, maybe?

Little bit bitter and jealous looks like.

Omackeral · 07-11-2019 9:50am

Imagine this lady operating on your child in a few years and you say "sorry can I see your Leaving Cert results, it's just I haven't seen them published anywhere".

splinter65 · 07-11-2019 9:51am

weldoninhio wrote: »

She got 500 odd points, 540 I think.

I don’t know how many points you need. I know you wouldn’t get in if you didn’t meet the requirement.

weldoninhio · 07-11-2019 9:55am

splinter65 wrote: »

I don’t know how many points you need. I know you wouldn’t get in if you didn’t meet the requirement.

I’ve clarified above. She didn’t get enough points.

Beechwoodspark · 07-11-2019 9:57am

weldoninhio wrote: »

I’ve clarified above. She didn’t get enough points.

If that’s true then this story gets weirder and weirder

wonski · 07-11-2019 10:02am

weldoninhio wrote: »

I’ve clarified above. She didn’t get enough points.

No, you didn't.

It is 480 for rcsi

Quote:

To be eligible for consideration for an Irish or EU School Leaver place, you must:

Meet the minimum entry (matriculation) and specific subject requirements.
Achieve a minimum of 480 points in the same sitting of the Irish Leaving Certificate examination or equivalent.
Sit the Opens in new windowHPAT-Ireland test in the year of admission to the programme.

End of quote.

These are minimum requirements of course.

Boggles · 07-11-2019 10:03am

Jaysus, an alarm must have went off some where, they are in trying to discredit the female fordiner.

pjohnson · 07-11-2019 10:05am

Boggles wrote: »

Jaysus, an alarm must have went off some where, they are in trying to discredit the female fordiner.

I'm amazed it took as long as it did. Musta been past their bedtime when OP was posted.

Tasfasdf · 07-11-2019 10:10am

weldoninhio wrote: »

She got 500 odd points, 540 I think.

Edit: 584, it’s 729 points to qualify for RCSI. Spent 5 years in Dubai before coming here for “asylum”. Was there a war in Syria in 2010/11??

Her parents are obviously minted. It will be found out and the usuals who sit at home on their pc's all day until the dole is ready will disappear like the achill case.

Kivaro · 07-11-2019 10:12am

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Best of luck to her

I’ve no issue with genuine refugees and she is one.

When I saw this news item on RTE, I said to myself "fair play to her", and I was delighted to see a good news story like this and thought that she would probably stay in Ireland after graduating as a doctor and work here in appreciation to the country who gave her refuge; not like many of our homegrown Irish graduate doctors who emigrate for better money.

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Even though I wish her all the best it is slightly odd that the full story behind this scholarship hasn’t been told
Where’s the transparency on this one?

But then she mentioned her year in an Irish Direct Provision centre and said: "It was probably the hardest time of my life. Those nine months, I’ve kind of blocked them out." (Quote from the Irish Times).
I immediately thought about the horrible war she and her family were fleeing in Syria; was not that worse than an Irish DP centre? Was she being bombed and terrorised and at risk of her life in this DP centre?

She and her parents were living in one of the wealthiest (and expensive) countries on the planet for 3 years before the mother and daughter came to Ireland for asylum. Her father worked away in the UAE while they were in Ireland. Both of her parents are engineers. It also seems that the RCSI have a presence in the UAE, but the fees are high there, as you can imagine for the UAE.

I was hopeful that when I first saw the story that the girl had arrived from war-torn Syria, worked hard at school here, and deservedly received a scholarship for her studies at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. Maybe they were persecuted during their 3 years in the UAE, but I'm sure she would have mentioned it ............... as it would have probably been worse than living one year in an Irish DP centre.

Don't know if we are getting the full story here, but I'm sure that the Irish Times and RTE will tease it out .........

Beechwoodspark · 07-11-2019 10:19am

I was hoping to just wish her well and leave it at that

Then I read this thread.

very valid pertinent questions raised need to be addressed

suicide_circus · 07-11-2019 10:35am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Some irish people are just fcuking weird, outraged over a foreign girl getting a scholarship, fcuking hell!

no one is "outraged" that the kid got a scholarship. People are however resistant to blatant spin. At a time when there is resistance to DP centres around the country, this just happens to make the front page of several national newspapers? Come on. People dont like being manipulated. I wish this girl and her family all the best.

Geuze · 07-11-2019 10:55am

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

I was hoping to just wish her well and leave it at that

Then I read this thread.

very valid pertinent questions raised need to be addressed

Yes, the media never tell the full story.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i · 07-11-2019 10:58am

Amagad, they durk ur skalushurps!

Best of luck to her, I hope she does well and finds happiness here.

Wanderer78 · 07-11-2019 11:06am

suicide_circus wrote: »

no one is "outraged" that the kid got a scholarship. People are however resistant to blatant spin. At a time when there is resistance to DP centres around the country, this just happens to make the front page of several national newspapers? Come on. People dont like being manipulated. I wish this girl and her family all the best.

humans have always been manipulated, and we always will be

07-11-2019 11:11am

weldoninhio wrote: »

She got 500 odd points, 540 I think.

Edit: 584, it’s 729 points to qualify for RCSI. Spent 5 years in Dubai before coming here for “asylum”. Was there a war in Syria in 2010/11??

729 combined Leaving Cert and HPAT points.

The report is that they fled Syria in 2011. The war started in Spring/Summer 2011.

She entered this country legally under the sylum system.

Are you wanting to rerun the asylum vetting process? I thought your "only problem" was with illegal immigrants?

GlennaMaddy · 07-11-2019 11:12am

UAE are forcing Syrian's who fled the war out since last year, it'd still be unsafe for some Syrian's to return to Syria now.

ohnonotgmail · 07-11-2019 11:14am

For those interested these are the details of the bursary she received.

https://www.education.ie/en/Learners/Services/Scholarships/the-professor-campbell-bursary-scheme.pdf

The bursary is only for those that have been accepted to a relevant course of study. She did not get her place in RCSI because of the bursary, she got the bursary because she had a place in RCSI.

Boggles · 07-11-2019 11:16am

1641 wrote: »

Are you wanting to rerun the asylum vetting process? I thought your "only problem" was with illegal immigrants?

That is the veil, occasionally it slips, see this thread for evidence.

Still waters · 07-11-2019 11:19am

Wanderer78 wrote: »

humans have always been manipulated, and we always will be

Lets tow the line and live with it is what you're saying

whomitconcerns · 07-11-2019 11:20am

Who gives a damn where she comes from our what her background is. She earned it based on whatever the requirements were. Good for her and let's get on with it.

If the newspaper chooses to write/account for her in a questionable way it's on them. There is a million angles on everything. The important facts of her achievement don't change.

Syrian refugee student wins state scholarship

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