Bilal Nasier
Bilal Nasier fled war-torn Afghanistan with his family when he was four years old, claiming asylum in New Zealand. Today he is completing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
Bilal Nasier fled war-torn Afghanistan with his family when he was four years old, claiming asylum in New Zealand. Today he is completing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
He is one of more than 750 students with refugee backgrounds currently enrolled at the University of Auckland.
The Equity Office Te Ara Tautika offers support to students from refugee backgrounds, hosts campus visits and other activities, plus there are equity and general scholarships available.
“University can be very daunting, especially to former refugees who grow up in New Zealand but may not have older siblings or family who have been through tertiary study,” Bilal, 25, says.
Bilal holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree, majoring in Clinical Psychology. He practised as a youth worker and behavioural therapist before returning to embark on his doctorate. He also mentors high school students from refugee backgrounds who are considering tertiary study.
But for the first 15 years of his life in New Zealand, he didn’t tell anyone he was an asylum seeker.
“I was ashamed, how do you bring up in a conversation with kids who grew up in New Zealand that people smugglers brought you here on false passports?” Bilal says.
“But as I got older I’ve been able to draw on that background – it has become a source of strength.”
Bilal’s family made the decision to flee Kabul after their home was bombed while his mother was giving birth.
“The house we lived in was bombed the day my brother was born - a rocket propelled grenade landed in the lounge, luckily it didn’t go off. Earlier that day my mother was sent home to give birth because the hospital had been bombed,” Bilal says. “That was the day my parents made the decision to leave.”
As it is difficult for Afghans to get visas to travel overseas, his family were forced to pay human smugglers for fraudulent passports to get out.
University can be very daunting, especially to former refugees who grow up in New Zealand but may not have older siblings or family who have been through tertiary study.
“My father is a doctor and we were a relatively wealthy family, but we left with just a couple of suitcases. It was the hardest decision my family ever made. It has had many far-reaching consequences, but we are still here and we are still alive.”
Bilal attended Mt Albert Grammar School and after completing his undergraduate degree, helped established Empower - a refugee youth mentoring network, aimed at supporting high-school students with study and career decisions. He also sits on the Ministry of Youth Development’s Partnership Fund Board responsible for allocating funding to youth development opportunities.
He is one of only 12 students accepted into the Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree programme in the Faculty of Science, which he hopes will prepare him to better counsel former refugees living in New Zealand. In his doctoral research, Bilal is looking at the experience of young Muslims following the 15 March killings in Christchurch in 2019.