Doorstep Stories: Meet Ismail

The third of our Doorstep Story series features the incredible resilience of Ismail who in spite of his battle through a hostile asylum system managed to complete a Level 2 diploma in Applied Science, successfully completed his A-Levels before moving on to study Law at UEL (University of East London) before being elected president of the Students Union.

A picture which captures the scale of Ismail’s academic successes

What is your migration / heritage story?

I immigrated to the UK in 2006, at the age of 9. Since then, I have spent most of my life in studies starting from Year 5 in a primary school. Upon completing primary education, I was thrilled to have progressed to a secondary school however when I reached Year 10, I was confronted with the devastating fact that I did not have any status to remain in the UK. This traumatic truth forced me to discontinue my studies. Isolated from friends, vulnerable and powerless, while the fear of deportation was constantly revolving around my mind triggered a cascade of debilitating events resulting in years of destructive mental health crises from which, regrettably, I am yet to fully recover.

Although I have been able to launch an application to the Home Office for the right to remain in the UK in 2012 after seeking professional legal advice, unfortunately, the quality of the legal advice was calamitous, and by acting upon it, I found myself in an intractably complex legal web. Unsurprisingly, my application was refused, and the crisis I was facing only increased in depth.

After the refusal of the first, I made a second application which was also refused, but by this time, I was struggling to fund the expensive legal costs, being in the brink of destitution I was forced to work for a local business earning £2.50 and hour. By the summer of 2014, I had successfully completed A-Levels and was offered unconditional offers to study Law by five universities in and around London. However, as I was still in the immigration limbo which meant I could not rely on funding from the Student Finance I was not able to progress to university which had a crippling effect on my self-esteem and confidence. Fortunately, by this time, I had built a strong network of support consisting of a truly amazing, selfless group of people whose only desire was to see me succeed in life and prosper. Their support has kept me buoyant at times when I felt I was drowning into the darkness of oblivion. I am truly honoured and humbled to have had such firm shoulders to lean on when I felt the world was closing in on me.

Finally, in 2016, after four applications to the Home Office and three court visits, a marathon lasting almost six years, I was granted the right to remain in the UK. This experience, as well as having a profound impact on me and how I see the world, had also sparked my interest in the UK legal system, particularly the Bar profession. Consequently, in late September 2016, I was again successful in securing offers from several universities to study Law (LLB). I was hopeful that I will one day become a barrister and help my community particularly the most vulnerable people in my community. Although I secured places in universities, I still found myself ineligible for student finance. However, I have been beyond fortunate as I was granted a scholarship by the Children’s Society which enabled me to commence Law (LLB) at the University of East London (UEL). Starting university after two years of break in studies presented some challenges at first, but through sheer determination and dedication, I was successfully able to complete the first year of the Course.

by the end of the first year of university, I faced renewed emotional and financial struggle to the extent I was not confident whether I could continue my studies. At this very dire moment in time, The Hope for the Young came to my aid providing much-needed support, alleviating a situation that became overwhelming for me for which I am truly grateful. Thanks to The Children’s Society and The Hope for the Young, I graduated in the summer of 2019 with a satisfying First Class Honours. I was also elected as the President of UEL Students’ Union and served my term in office from July 2019 – June 2020. As the President of the Students’ Union, I have represented and relentlessly advocated on behalf of the students, the skills I have learnt as a law student most certainly helped.

How are you spending your time during lockdown?

The pandemic has turned everyone’s life upside down; unfortunately, mine included. The lockdown has been very challenging. However, it has also provided me with an opportunity to take a moment and appreciate the small things in life that I feel I have long taken for granted like going outside unhindered or without the fear of catching a deadly virus or meet with my friends without having to keep meters of distance. Merely months ago, it would have been inconceivable that we would be where we are now.

My aim during the lockdown has been to keep my spirit uplifted and help others as much as I can. Currently, I am volunteering for an organisation that is supporting struggling students all over the UK get through this unprecedented time. I have also become involved in another initiative that aims to support vulnerable people facing a rising level of racism and discrimination and ensure they are receiving the support they need and deserve.

What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you during lockdown?

Some of my neighbours have long been sceptical of social media and other online platforms. We have had many discussions about the merit of social media where I passionately tried to convince them that at least some social media platforms can be useful but to no avail. My ideologically driven neighbours would not be convinced. They told me they could not fathom why people would use social media platforms.

Then Covid-19 happened. And after the lockdown was imposed, my neighbours scrambled to become social media savvy all of a sudden. Although I did agree to help them familiarise themselves with some of the social media platforms, but it came at the cost of them tolerating my occasional spontaneous giggle about what just happened.

What are you most looking forward to doing after lockdown?

After the lockdown, I am most looking forward to meeting all my friends. This is something I believe I have taken for granted prior to the lockdown, but if lockdown taught me anything, it is the true value of friendship.

Successfully competing Law (LLB) has been incredible, but I wish to move forward further and realise my ultimate goal and become a barrister. Towards this goal, I have already secured a place at BPP University to study Barrister Training Course (BTC) starting in September 2020. Unfortunately, the age-old financial struggle means I cannot afford to fund this expensive Course; nevertheless, I remain optimistic.

All images copyright Mohammed Ismail