Fanshawe College fulfills promise to support 10 Syrian refugee students

Fanshawe College has announced that it has honoured its promise to foot the tuition bill for 10 Syrian refugees.

The London college says it has fulfilled its pledge to support the city’s response to the Syrian crisis by providing bursary funding to cover tuition and related fees for the 10 individuals who are now studying in a number of programs.

“Fanshawe is committed to providing pathways to success, and we’re thrilled to help empower 10 new families settling in London,” said Fanshawe president Peter Devlin.

“The students’ resilience is inspirational. They have thrown themselves into their studies and are all doing very well, determined to unlock their potential and contribute to their new community. We’re proud to see them finding hope and building futures through a Fanshawe education.”

READ MORE: Syrian family reflects on life in London, one year after arrival

Lynn Koudsi, a 20-year-old student who arrived in London in October and lives with her uncle, began studying to become a computer programmer analyst in January.

“I’m extremely thrilled because this is the perfect chance for me to follow my dreams and everything I’ve wished to achieve,” said Koudsi.

“I’m going to be studying something I love and I’ve loved to study ever since I can remember. I wasn’t able to pursue that in Syria because it was not safe to go to that school there.”

As of late December, the federal government reported London had welcomed 1,638 Syrian refugees. Koudsi says her parents arrived from Syria two weeks ago.

READ MORE: Edmonton program helps young Syrian refugees: ‘I didn’t know any English so I had no friends’

Programs the 10 refugee students who successfully enrolled at Fanshawe are studying include architectural technology, computer programmer analyst, developmental services worker, early childhood education, general arts and science programs, and retirement residence management.