Fadi Thabet should have graduated five years ago from Mosul University.
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But in mid-2014 Thabet and his family were forced to flee his hometown in northern Iraq, after the city of Mosul fell to Islamic State.
It was a 'scary time'.
Thabet and his family fled to Jordan with little more than the clothes on their back.
In 2016, they received a visa to Australia.
"That was the best gift we ever received," the 27-year-old said. "This is a close second."
The this Thabet refers to, is graduating from the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Engineering (Telecommunications Engineering), nearly four years after arriving in Australia.
Thabet and his family arrived in Wollongong on June 8, 2016.
About two weeks later he went to the university to inquire about study options.
"But I had no proof of all the study I had already done," Thabet said.
"Before we were forced to leave our country, I had almost completed a Telecommunications Engineering degree at Mosul University.
"I finished my thesis but then everything changed. I couldn't do my final exam because of Islamic State. We had to flee immediately.
"It was really hard especially when you see everything that you built, everything is destroyed in front of you, you can not do anything.
"I should have graduated in 2014. I'm just glad that I'm graduating now."
Thabet said receiving the call from the Australian embassy saying the family had been granted a humanitarian visa, was the perfect "Christmas gift".
"We got the call in December, 2015. Everyone cried that day. We were so happy. It seemed like heaven to us," he said.
Thabet completed a English for Academic Purposes course at TAFE before starting his degree at UOW.
"They agreed to let me start from the seond year of the course and soon realised I had a sound knowledge of engineering. I'm very thankful."
He is also thankful that he has secured a permanent fulltime job as a junior network engineer with Hearing Australia.
Thabet is among hundreds of students from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, and the Faculty of Business,.taking part in UOW's summer graduations running from Tuesday to Thursday, December 19.
The late Tim Fischer AC, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, will be recognised with an Honorary Doctor of Letters during Thursday's ceremony.
On Tuesday, the university honoured Elizabeth Proust AO, non-executive director of Lendlease. Ms Proust has built an impressive career in the business world over the past 30 years.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
