Batoul’s infatuation with the sky started at a very young age, “I remember the first time I visited my grandpa’s village and stargazed. The houses were far apart, and the sky was so clear. One night, we decided to go on the roof, and I immediately fell in love with the night sky. It never looked like that in the city.” Right there and then, Batoul knew that one day she was going to study the stars and become an astronaut. 

Batoul left Syria in 2013, she packed her bags with her family and headed to Reyhanli, Turkey. She was very young when she left, but she still remembers the long and exhausting journey. “Even though I didn’t live in Syria for long, what I saw there shaped my decision to be an astronaut.” 

Batoul joined Karam in 2018, she did not know what to expect and she was uncertain of her decision to join. “When I first came here, I was really afraid. It was unfamiliar. But soon my perspective changed. I really loved it. When one workshop ended, I couldn’t wait for the next one to begin.” 

Batoul graduated from Karam House in 2020. Set on her dreams of going to university, she applied to the Karam scholarship and was accepted! 

Now Batoul is a first-year student at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi, which is just outside of Istanbul. Though she wants to be an astrophysicist, that major doesn’t exist in Turkey, so she is majoring in geophysical engineering. Before moving to Çanakkale, she finished studying the Turkish language to make her courses and overall integration easier. She currently resides in a government dorm where she is becoming close to her roommates who have been helping her further her Turkish language skills.

This semester, she is enrolled in nine courses and has found the professors incredibly helpful. Batoul says they are always willing to work with her through tough lessons. Outside of class, she is volunteering online with The Syrian Women’s Committee in Reyhanli and taking an online professional development course. It’s safe to say that Batoul’s passion and ambition are keeping her busy! 

While she was slightly anxious to embark on the university experience, she was able to turn this anxiety into a drive to achieve. She aspires to end the semester with high grades. 

To the world, Batoul wants to say, “I am not just a Syrian refugee who has fled from the war. I’m also a student who wants to accomplish her dreams. To the people who have a dream like mine, we must be very strong. Despite all the pain we may feel and the moments where we think we can’t do anything, we must continue.”