Syrian refugee realises dream of becoming a doctor

A Syrian refugee who came to Ireland at the age of 14 has achieved her dream of becoming a doctor.

Suaad Alshleh, 22, graduated from RCSI in Dublin with a first class honours degree in medicine and will begin her internship year next month.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m a doctor, I’ve been getting emails saying, ‘Dear Doctor…’ and the first one was very fun. It does feel surreal and I don’t think it will sink in until I’m on the wards being called to do things,” she said.

“With medicine, you have an incredible privilege to be there for people in moments of extreme vulnerability, be a source of trust, a source of confidence to them. I can’t wait to be in that position of privilege.”

Suaad was the first recipient of a Department of Education scholarship in 2019 for high-performing Leaving Certificate students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The William C Campbell bursary awards €5,000 in funding for each year of the student’s undergraduate studies. She was also in receipt of the RCSI Aim High medical scholarship.

The support was “life-changing.”

“There are students with incredible potential that can really benefit from support like this for their studies. I think it’s important for students to apply for bursaries, it’s just a paper you fill out, the points do the rest, so it’s important to look out for those opportunities.”

When Suadd, who is now an Irish citizen, and her mother first came to Ireland, they spent their first year here in direct provision.

She then attended two secondary schools – one in Co Monaghan and another in Mountmellick, Co Laois, following their move to Portlaoise.

“I thankfully had English, so that was one less barrier, but it was all very foreign to me. In both schools, I was probably everyone’s first Syrian, people’s first refugee, people’s first Muslim, people’s first Arab, but I’m not someone who lets themselves be othered, so it didn’t present any issues for me.

“There’s a lot to say for Irish people being very welcoming in general, so I didn’t face trouble in that regard.”

If she could tell her 14-year-old self anything, she would say: “It may feel foreign right now, but it will eventually feel like home.”

Now that Suaad has achieved her childhood dream of becoming a doctor, her next goal is simple – “to be the best doctor I can be”.