Key Points:
- Saad Al-Kassab and his family fled Syria to escape war, arriving in Australia in 2014.
- Saad and his family provided aid to those affected by the war in Syria.
- Learning English for only 2 years, Saad graduated as dux with an ATAR of 96.65
- He has been offered a scholarship by Monash University and wants to study medicine.
Saad Al-Kassab is making headlines all across Australia as he graduates as dux of his high school with an ATAR of 96.65. Saad has only been in Australia for 2 years after he and his family became victims of the civil war in Syria. Since coming to Australia, Saad was not only able to start a new life but excel in his new home in Australia.
Saad and his father, source: Catholic Regional College Syndeham
Because of his poor English, it was hard for Saad to gain admission into any schools upon arriving in Australia. In Syria, he had bought schoolbooks and studied at home with his mother (a chemical engineer) while seeking shelter. He said that he learnt English from watching Question Time in Federal Parliament, where they speak ‘proper English’ and ‘speak slowly’, allowing him to get a grasp of the language.
He was initially offered a job as a gardener at Syndenham Catholic Regional College in Melbourne. After learning of his situation, the principal offered Saad a scholarship to study at the school. Saad then studied hard, graduating at the top of his class.
Saad and Omar are now a part of Scouts Victoria, source: Scouts Victoria
At the age of 15, Saad’s school in Syria was turned into a refugee camp as the war became more and more extreme. Saad and his brother, Omar, had to travel long distances to makeshift exam centres in cinemas and sports grounds while avoiding airstrikes. Being Syrian scouts, Saad and Omar also ‘…acted as distributors of the international aide and collected food for the displaced people in Syria.’ They sought to provide food and aide for all those suffering from the consequences of war.
Saad has undoubtedly experienced many terrifying experiences that most other Australian students will hopefully never face. His scout leader was tortured and killed when the police discovered they were distributing food. He also recounts the reality of airstrikes and mortars: ‘You would have three seconds to get cover.’ Saad and his family fled Syria to Egypt before eventually coming to Australia 2014.
Omar and Saad started doing humanitarian work with their Scouts group. Their leader was tortured to death as a result. Source: Daily Mail
Despite having to miss years of school, Saad was able to get an ATAR of 96.65 and was the dux of his school. This is such a monumental achievement and evidence of the ‘new life’ he was given in Australia. Saad is among the top 4% performing students in the nation and has been offered a scholarship at Monash University.
He says that he wants to study medicine so that he can eventually work with Doctors Without Borders one day. After seeing and experiencing the reality and heartbreak of war, Saad is determined to step up and be the one ‘who will help those people’.
Saad and Omar gave a TEDx talk earlier this year and you can watch it here:
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Saad’s accomplishment is inspirational and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours. We hope that Saad’s story will encourage you in your studies as well as to think more about what’s going on in the world. We’re lucky to be living in a multicultural country, which is shared between diverse people.
