Drita

Where are you at right now?

I’m studying law full time. I chose my university as I really like how it looks and I wanted a realistic choice.

At the beginning I didn’t think that I was going to want to do law. Then by year 2 of my law A-level I was convinced. And university has made that feeling way stronger.

It was so good – I loved it immediately. I loved the course and have made friends, the professors are young and understanding and I have really enjoyed it. I didn’t feel pressure to study – I did it in my own independent time. I had a responsibility within me to do well – not that someone needs to push me, but I just don’t want someone to pressure me. I know how important it is to me.

I see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve been through. It’s unimaginable – other students had siblings at home with their families, their mums making food, while I was experiencing violence in care. I remember the police officer taking me at 12pm to the house in Croydon: I went to a stranger’s home, I didn’t know who the people were. It was probably the darkest days of my entire life. I had just arrived here, traumatised. I went through that and way worse than that.

But now I’m in the right place. And I have done extremely well, taking into consideration my mental health, and then in my first year of university I was working and I had so much to do, bills to pay, shopping to be done. But I felt so good, I was working.

I really want to become a solicitor, because they are doing advocacy like barristers now too. And my aspirations are already becoming reality because I am making arrangements to shadow barristers at a top chambers.

What would you tell your younger self?

To my younger self I want to say that you’ve been incredibly resilient, honestly, and you deserve everything that you have right now. You will deserve this stable life that you have because of how resilient you have been, every day despite the challenges. I kept going. I didn’t do anything silly – I kept going on the right track although I felt so desperate. I am so proud of myself that I didn’t get off track. I kept walking even though the steps were so small and the journey was so long, with so many obstacles.

What would you like to share to other young asylum seekers?

Get informed as much as you can about your rights: the Refugee Council, Helen Bamber, and community centres offer support and knowledge about your rights. Be open to knowing everything and knowing your rights and where you can seek support. You can be in the right place if you know your rights.

The journey is so long but you can do it – try and do the best that you can and just educate yourself. That’s the best thing that you can do that will drag you out of the misery that you are in, knowing that you are doing something for yourself to make yourself better and you are valuable for the community – in that you feel that you are making yourself feel better and you are making yourself a positive force in someone’s life, with all the knowledge you have and spreading the knowledge. If you know about something, spread it.