We see plenty of inspiring stories around World Refugee Day – beloved tales of people from refugee backgrounds who built business empires or made scientific breakthroughs. While these stories are important, they’re not the only refugee stories we want to celebrate.
We’re surrounded by everyday stories of refugee joy, resilience, and growth. Stories that show refugees’ most important contributions to the U.S. – the ones they make simply by being our neighbors, enriching our communities in more ways than we can count.
“The allegations that a school for refugees doesn’t prepare them for the real world are laughable; what prepares a child for the real world more than defiant self-confidence?” – Luma Mufleh, CEO, Founder and Coach, Fugees Family
This spring marked the eighth annual commencement ceremony at Fugees Academy, a school dedicated to ensuring refugee students can access quality education – one that meets them where they are and treats their culture and refugee identity as something to be proud of. This year, seven seniors walked the stage and will start their next chapter not only as high school graduates, but as lifelong members of the Fugees Family.
Here are just a few stories from this year’s graduating class.
Siblings Aya and Mohamad were born in Syria. When the civil war forced their family to flee, they initially settled in Egypt, where they and their siblings were unable to attend local schools. Four years later, Aya and Mohamad arrived in the U.S. and later joined Fugees Academy for high school.
“Over the past 8 years, I have overcome many obstacles,” Aya said in her graduation speech. “With determination and dedication, I have managed to succeed in my middle school and high school years. So I would Like to say to my under classmates, trust me, if I can do it, you definitely can too. So please keep pushing and you will find yourself where you want to be.”
This fall, Aya plans to attend Georgia State University and become a nurse practitioner, and Mohamad will attend Gwinnett Technical College.
“Don’t let people’s words hurt you or bring you down,” said Mohamad, sharing advice for underclassmen. “Don’t let their words discourage you, and always believe in yourself. Even when everyone else doesn’t. Never lose hope.”
Johani came to America from a refugee camp in Tanzania. At his first middle school, he was teased and mocked for his African heritage. “I felt embarrassed, betrayed, and almost ashamed to be an immigrant,” Johani wrote.
But starting at Fugees Academy in 8th grade, “I met many kids who went through similar things as I did. This made me feel less alone on my journey and more proud of who I am. I started to express myself more and show society that being an immigrant doesn’t put me below anyone.”
Johani’s now headed to Georgia Southern University, where he will “continue on my own showing the world what it means to be an immigrant.”
Welcoming newcomers has always been at the heart of America’s story. And the Fugees Academy Class of ‘23 is just one example of what can happen when we provide people forced to flee their homes with a fresh start and opportunity to be part of their communities. Like Fugees, we all need to do our part to support, uplift and believe in refugees every day.
We’d like to thank Joanna Taylor and the Fugees Family for their contributions to this blog post.