A Syrian refugee finally graduated as a doctor in London after 10 years, four countries, and 21 homes, Evening Standard reported on Wednesday.
Tirej Brimo, "started medical school at the age of 17 in Aleppo, Syria, but the civil war broke out in 2011 and he was forced to flee 10 months before finishing the six-year course," the British publication wrote.
The 27-year-old doctor then made the perilous journey from the Middle East to the U.K.
"He crisscrossed the Middle East via Lebanon, became separated from his family and spent time in Egypt, where he twice tried to finish his course but had to leave."
After arriving in the UK in 2013, Brimo applied to every medical school in the country but was rejected by most because the courses he had taken back home were different than the ones required in Britain.
However, after he nailed an interview at the St George’s University of London, he was offered a spot on their medical program and was even allowed to start the five-year course in the third year.
According to Evening Standard, Brimo "paid for his studies by working as a phlebotomist at Croydon University Hospital and also had a student loan."
He is now working as a junior doctor at County Hospital in Stafford and wants to specialize in emergency medicine or trauma surgery.
"I feel attached both to the UK and Syria now"
At his graduation ceremony, Brimo was congratulated by London's Mayor, Sadiq Khan.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, the young graduate explained how grateful he was for the chance he was given in the UK.
“I have learnt that the UK is a fair place. If you put the effort in you get a result. I feel attached to the British community. It welcomed me, gave me love and believed in me," he said.
However, in another interview with BBC Radio, Brimo also expressed his attachment to his homeland.
"I feel attached both to the UK and Syria Now. Syria is the sorrow that breaks my heart every single day," he said.
"You are NOT a number and you will never be"
A month before his graduation ceremony, Brimo highlighted the importance of giving refugees a chance in the world in a post he shared on Facebook.
"5 years ago when I first left Syria, I had nothing on me except an old bag stuffed with clothes and a shattered soul stuffed with anger," he wrote.
"I still remember the way I cried when I first realized that everything was lost and I became just a number. We all became numbers, it was not only me," he added.
"Everything is over now, everything. No more sleepless nights, crying a lost future. No more aimless tearful wanders, protesting the cruelness and unfairness of life, and most importantly I sincerely wish that my graduation will mark the end of all my losses. We are all sick and tired of losing everything we once had," Brimo explained.
"For some of us, simply smiling can be painful to the face and agonizing to the soul. Nevertheless, please do not give up on your dreams. Please do not give up on who you really are. You are NOT a number and you will never be," he wrote.
"A refugee on job seekers' allowance who speaks some English, this is how I started my journey on this beautiful land, and here I am writing my graduation post fully in English," the young doctor commented.