Hello, I hope this letter finds you all safe, happy and having wonderful life.

I’m a young PhD researcher and father of an adorable 1-year-old daughter, currently enrolled in a Geological Engineering PhD program in Istanbul. Much like the refugees now fleeing Ukraine, Russia's military intervention in the Middle East also forced me to leave my home, along with 13 million others, half of my country's population. In fact, my home country was where Russia first practiced some of the tactics it is using now in Ukraine, including the destruction of hospitals and other basic infrastructure, siege warfare, and attacks on civilian areas. Sadly, these two conflicts are interrelated.

After finishing my Master's degree in Geosciences at university, like the Ukrainian refugees we see today, I had to flee home leaving Mom, Dad, family, and all my life behind, hoping to pursue my academic journey and build a better life for my loved ones. I had no choice but forcibly going to Sudan (It was the only country that accepted refugees from my country back then). After spending nearly a year with the wonderful Sudanese people, I was one of the luckiest refugees who was able to make it legally to Istanbul in April 2018, acquiring the precious opportunity of carrying out my PhD at Istanbul Technical University, which is accredited by the Board for Engineering and Technology, meaning it applies the same educational system as in the U.S. (first stage, courses; second, qualifying exam; third, a dissertation). This means I will receive a diploma acknowledged in most of the world’s countries, without any need for further equivalency issues, and I hope it will mean direct accessibility to employment after graduation. But there were many challenges before I could even begin.

Being a refugee in Turkey presents numerous challenges, and suddenly finding yourself powerless, it is inevitable to spend the following couple of years in mastering a completely different language, at the same time, struggling for acknowledgement of my previous diplomas and certificates, which is a process that took me two overwhelming years (due to the total absence of formal relationships with the authorities that provided the certificates), starting from high school and ending up with the MS diploma, otherwise the graduate researcher is not allowed to carry out research, even if they were successful at obtaining higher certificates from Turkey. I have managed to succeed despite long working hours and minimal opportunities for income due to the unprecedented flood of young refugees in Istanbul.

In order to do this, I immediately started learning the Turkish language, and I am fortunate that after a year, I have gotten the most advanced certificate (TÖMER). Then, with consistent effort and preparation, I was successful at completing the GRE (graduate entry examination) and the IELTS (English proficiency) tests. Finally I was extremely lucky to be accepted into the Eurasia Institute for Earth Sciences inside Istanbul Technical University, one of Turkey's elite research centers. After tireless studying, I passed the qualifying exam, placing me among the top of my class, despite being the only refugee student in the program.

Unfortunately the pandemic consequences were unimaginable, my wife and I compulsorily had to lock ourselves indoors for long-lasting months during the curfew and lockdowns, with the total nonexistence of any kind of assistance, funding or even unemployment aid form the university or other local organizations. Simultaneously we had to continue paying the rent, utilities and the fees of the most expensive passport in the whole world, just for keeping our legal documents running and valid. What made it even more challenging, is that we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, whom we were waiting for in the last five years.

But the costs added up, along with brutal lack of working opportunities. Despite all my efforts, our economic situation was absolutely depleted, all this at a time when, as my Turkish classmates do, I am supposed to dedicate at least 8–10 hours daily for doing the preparations of the thesis, studying the articles, previous studies and the literature in general.

Right now, I am totally qualified to start my dissertation, which needs full dedication and determination. This is why this fundraiser was established, for kindly gathering $15,000 for living expenses, tuition, and to cover the research fundamentals so I can begin this scientific project:

- Life essentials costs (rent-utilities-health insurance)

- Basic infrastructure of the research (computer for data processing and creating numerical models and engineering equipment)

- Field work (acquiring sufficient specimens for the lab tests)

- Publication fees for Q1 paper, and conference participation (compulsory for graduation)

- Equivalency process costs (for previous B.Sc and M.Sc certificates).

If we are blessed in getting more generous funding, it will be also wisely invested in leaning the German language, because 80-90% of the researchers in Turkey cooperate with German universities, research centers and publishers (Springer), and my ability to speak German will increase the acceptance of the dissertation and its attendant publications.

Thank you so much for your help and understanding. Your contributions will absolutely go towards direct human needs. And it will be invested in the fulfillment of this goal. Thank you wholeheartedly for thinking of me in this difficult time. I promise you I will make every dollar you contribute to this cause turn into economic and educational opportunity for myself and my family, and I hope to one day become an engineer who will give back by helping build a better future for everyone.

This fundraiser is sponsored by my friend Dr. Stephennie Mulder, a professor of Islamic art at the University of Texas at Austin who spent many years living and researching in my country. She and I have known each other for years and she is happy to answer any questions you may have.

Help a Refugee Student Father Complete his PhD!

By Stephennie Mulder

Help a Refugee Student Father Complete his PhD!