Maya Ghazal

Syrian refugee and UNHCR goodwill ambassador

Maya Ghazal (Arabic: مايا غزال) is a UK-based Syrian refugee, a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, the first female Syrian pilot, and a Diana Award winner.

## Early life in Syria

[edit]

Ghazal was born to a father who ran a fabric factory on the outskirts of Damascus[1] and has two brothers.[2]

The Syrian civil war started in 2011, when she was 12 years old.[2]

## Life in the United Kingdom

[edit]

In September 2015,[3] at the age of 16, with her mother and siblings, following the path that her father took, Ghazal fled Syria to Birmingham, UK.[4] In the UK, she struggled to continue her education, because 16 is a legal school-leaving age in the UK, no school was obliged to accept her, and the schools did not respect her Syrian education credentials.[1]

The family moved from Birmingham to London.[2]

In 2017, Ghazal was one of 20 people to be given a Diana Award.[5][6]

Ghazal studied aeronautical engineering and pilot education Brunel University London.[1][3] In 2020, she became the first female Syrian refugee pilot and in 2021 she became a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Swaminathan Natarajan (2021-09-09). "'Saya adalah seorang pengungsi... Sekarang saya mengendalikan hidup saya seperti saya mengendalikan pesawat'". BBC News Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2022-07-31.
2. ^ a b c d Freeman, Liam (2021-06-21). "How Maya Ghazal became the first female Syrian refugee pilot". Vogue India. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
3. ^ a b "Meet Maya Ghazal". The Diana Award. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
4. ^ Coole, Maria (2021-03-08). "5 Gen Z activists and changemakers to have on your radar for 2021". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
5. ^ "Princes William and Harry present Diana Awards to young people". BBC News. 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
6. ^ People Magazine (2021) Diana: Her Life and Legacy. United Kingdom: TI Incorporated Books.

## External links

[edit]

* Maya Ghazal, Education, Aspiration, Compassion, Tedx Talk 2019