Syrian asylum seeker says masters degree is a 'dream come true'

Mohamed Hady Taresh fled to the UK from Syria with his wife and daughter in 2022

An asylum seeker from Syria has received a masters degree after having to flee his home country and abandon his studies there.

Mohamed Hady Taresh graduated with a first class masters degree in cyber security from the University of Gloucestershire on Friday.

Mr Taresh was forced to leave Syria in 2013 because of the ongoing civil war.

He said: "It's a dream come true and especially in these circumstances and the challenges we faced."

Mr Taresh arrived in the UK in 2022 seeking refuge and a better future for his wife, Jollanar and their five-year-old daughter Alice.

He had a 10-year career working in various IT management roles in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Cyprus.

But with an armed conflict displacing millions of people, Mr Taresh said coming to the UK was a "life or death matter" for his family.

Mr Taresh achieved a first-class degree in cyber security

"I remember the day that we had to leave the city [Raqqa] because the city [fell down] in a very dramatic situation," he said.

The family fled to England and arrived at a hotel in Cheltenham in middle of the night.

"My wife was scared because we came in the middle of the night," he said.

"[But] the moment we wake up, it was something magical, because of the green landscapes of the countryside and the feeling that we are safe right now."

"I rebuilt myself from scratch," said Mr Taresh

Mr Taresh was not legally permitted to work in the UK while his asylum application was processed by the Home Office, so he decided to return to education.

"I rebuilt myself from scratch," said Mr Taresh, who became the first postgraduate student to be awarded the University of Gloucestershire's Michael Perham Sanctuary Scholarship.

The scholarship helped him to cover living expenses by providing support such as food vouchers and travel tickets to and from campus.

He received a first-class master's degree in Cyber Security, which he received at the university's graduation ceremony at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday.

"This is the moment that I was dreaming about. I can't find the words to express what I feel right now," he said.