COUNTY NEWS: Oxford place for refugee who fled war-torn Syria

By The Newsroom
Published 15th Jan 2018, 14:08 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 03:13 BST
Sulaiman Wihba who fled war torn Syrian in a refrigerated lorry to the UK had just been awarded a place at Oxford after completing his studies at Brighton College (Photograph: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures) SUS-180115-095230001Sulaiman Wihba who fled war torn Syrian in a refrigerated lorry to the UK had just been awarded a place at Oxford after completing his studies at Brighton College (Photograph: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures) SUS-180115-095230001
Sulaiman Wihba who fled war torn Syrian in a refrigerated lorry to the UK had just been awarded a place at Oxford after completing his studies at Brighton College (Photograph: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures) SUS-180115-095230001
A Syrian refugee living in Sussex is celebrating after being offered a place at Oxford, two years after arriving in the UK in a frozen chip van.

Sulaiman Wihba, 20, of Hove, learnt this week that he had been accepted by Oxford University’s Balliol College to read maths this autumn.

Sulaiman achieved four A*s in his maths, further maths, physics and chemistry A levels last summer and was encouraged to apply to the top university by his teachers at Brighton College.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “For me, this feels truly unbelievable. Who would have thought that 17-year-old me, jumping off a lorry when I arrived in the UK, could make it to Oxford? It’s been such a tough journey since I left the bombings and the bullets in Damascus but I wouldn’t change anything about it. I am also so grateful as I couldn’t have done any of this if it had not been for my parents and my teachers’ amazing support.”

Sulaiman Wihba (far right) with brothers in Syria (Photograph: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures) SUS-180115-095253001Sulaiman Wihba (far right) with brothers in Syria (Photograph: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures) SUS-180115-095253001
Sulaiman Wihba (far right) with brothers in Syria (Photograph: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures) SUS-180115-095253001

Sulaiman was studying in Syria to go to university until the dangers of being in Damascus became too great and he and his family decided they had to leave in 2015.