Baladi - Syrian Story
A student in war-torn Syria will be able to fulfill his dream of studying at Cambridge University.
Abdullah Kattineh, 19, from Damascus, started a fundraising campaign after becoming the only Syrian to be admitted to the prestigious institution this year, he claims.
The teenager, whose goal is to "become one of the best chemists in the world", was accepted to read natural sciences after battling with extraordinary conditions in his home country.
He studied by torchlight when electricity failed and like his schoolmates, hid from fire whenever snipers were about or bombs fell near the school.
But once he received the offer to study at Corpus Christi College, he faced what must have felt like an insurmountable challenge to raise the necessary fees and living costs to cover his three year degree of more than £48,000.
He was also required to prove he had £150,000 to be allowed to enter the country as a student.
But despite crowd-funding and wide-spread goodwill on social media and an article from the News, Abdullah's chances of raising the amount before the end of September was slim.
However, he learned on Saturday (May 19) that the full amount had been found for him by Corpus Christi College and the Cambridge Trust.
After discussions with the college, the trust, which is a grant-awarding body which provides the largest number of awards to overseas students studying at Cambridge, agreed to give all the funds needed to allow Abdullah to come to Cambridge and begin his studies.
"This is an exceptional case," said Dr Michael Sutherland, tutor for admissions.
"Abdullah has had to overcome tremendous obstacles to win the place at Corpus and we want to support him and ensure he is fully funded and able to concentrate on his studies and new life here."
Speaking from Syria, Abdullah was reportedly "excited to study in Cambridge and was astonished and deeply appreciative of the support of the college, university and its members."
He previously said on his fundraising page: "It is the ultimate honour to be the only Syrian student who got admitted to Cambridge University this year. I can’t by any language - or type of creative writing - express what this chance means to me."
His fundraising campaign was supported by the Cambridge Refugee Scholarship Campaign (CRSC) that aims to establish a support scholarships for students hindered by political or humanitarian crises.
Source: Cambridge News