Sam Pordale

Co-President of Warwick Student Action for Refugees

“There were moments on the journey when I thought, if I die here, nobody will know what happened to me.”

“In an instant my life went from one of privilege in Afghanistan to becoming a refugee in real danger. It was August 2021, Taliban militants had taken control of Kabul. Until that morning my father held a high-ranking position in the democratic government.

Getting to the airport and onto an evacuation flight was not going to be possible. There was no way we would get past the Taliban checkpoints. I lost my father in the crowd. At that point I didn’t know I’d never see him again. But I did know that I was on my own and it was up to me to find a way of getting out.

My journey to the UK took eight months, taking me through Iran, Turkey, Italy and France by minibus, boat and foot. I’d crossed into Turkey illegally, so I didn’t have the paperwork needed to work or stay. I spoke fluent English and decided that the UK was my only chance to be accepted and do something useful. It took nine attempts to get here by small boat.

At my asylum accommodation I met the Red Cross and started to volunteer at one of their drop-in centres as an English teacher. I was put forward for an academic research programme, looking at the barriers that refugees faced accessing higher education. I was surprised to learn that I could apply to study at UK universities. I applied for five undergraduate courses across the country.

I was awarded a full scholarship to study politics and international studies at Warwick. I started in September 2023 with no money, clothes or suitcase. But now the campus feels like home. Everyone is my family, from the lecturers to the cleaners, I know everyone.

In my first week I joined the university’s Student Action for Refugees group, I’m now the co-president. I often think back to my life a few years ago and can’t believe what I’ve been through. The idea I could become a refugee overnight would have seemed crazy. But laws, governments, your rights, they can all disappear in a second and all you’re left with is yourself. I want to make the best of every chance to live a good life.”