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Refugee who rebuilt her life in Leeds completes PhD and calls for schools to recognise migrant families’ hidden strengths
A refugee who arrived in Leeds seeking safety and a chance to rebuild her life has completed a PhD at Leeds Beckett University, culminating in a journey marked by resilience, academic achievement and a deep commitment to supporting others.
Dr Kidist Teklemariam founder of Unleashing Refugee Potential C.I.C has been awarded her doctorate after research that challenges common assumptions about migrant and refugee parents and their engagement with education.
Her study explores how ethnic and migrant community groups help families understand the school system, communicate with teachers and support their children’s learning - often in ways that go unnoticed by schools and policymakers.
For Kidist, the achievement is both professional and profoundly personal.
She said: “Earning my PhD is both an academic and deeply personal achievement. It represents years of persistence, sacrifice, uncertainty, family responsibility and hope.
“The PhD is more than a qualification. It symbolises that hardship does not have to define the outcome. It shows that those who are displaced, excluded or forced to start over can still create knowledge, lead change and contribute meaningfully to society.”
Kidist arrived in the UK after being displaced from her home country. Like many refugees and asylum seekers, she faced uncertainty, unfamiliar institutions and the challenge of rebuilding her professional identity.
Her journey with Leeds Beckett University began with an MSc in Entrepreneurship and Business Development. She says staff took a holistic view of her background, helping her navigate documentation requirements and recognising her previous education, experience and potential.
“I did not feel people were simply following procedures or searching for shortcomings. Instead, they genuinely worked with me to find solutions. Their support made me feel welcomed, valued and recognised.”
That support helped her win the Dean’s Prize after completing her master’s degree.
At the same time, she founded Unleashing Refugee Potential, a refugee-led social enterprise that supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants through education, employment, digital inclusion and confidence-building.
Not long after the completion of her MSc, Kidist got involved in one of the externally funded projects of the Carnegie School of Education’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Citizenship, Education and Society (CIRCES), whose work focuses on issues of education, inclusion, citizenship and social justice.
What began as research assistance, developed into funded doctoral study focused on how migrant and refugee families engage with their children’s education. Her research challenges the notion that migrant and refugee parents are disengaged.
During her studies, Kidist also contributed to several externally funded CIRCES research projects, helping to build evidence around the experiences of diverse communities and educational participation.
She added: “Many families care deeply about their children’s education, but their support is not always recognised by schools or systems.”
While family engagement is often measured by attendance at parents’ evenings, use of school apps or formal communication with teachers, her research shows that many families support their children in less visible ways.
These include sacrifice, encouragement, community advice, informal interpretation and support from trusted cultural and religious networks.
Her findings highlight the critical role of ethnic and migrant community groups, which often act as bridges between families and schools.
These organisations help parents understand school expectations, reduce fear, improve communication and ensure schools better understand families’ realities. Yet much of this work is informal, unpaid and under-recognised.
She hopes the research will encourage schools, Ofsted and policymakers to move away from deficit thinking.
“Rather than asking why migrant parents are not engaging, we should ask how they are already engaging and why these forms are not always recognised.”
During her PhD, she balanced academic study with family responsibilities, leadership of URP Leeds, community work and efforts to reunite with her daughters in the UK.
“Being reunited with my daughters was one of the most significant moments of my life. Achieving PhD approval after everything we have been through feels incredibly powerful.”
She also served as a trustee of Poverty Truth Network and was elected to the Governing Board of SIRIUS, an international network focused on migrant education.
She is now looking to the future, with plans to pursue a Marie Curie Fellowship and expand her research internationally.
Her study explores how ethnic and migrant community groups help families understand the school system, communicate with teachers and support their children’s learning - often in ways that go unnoticed by schools and policymakers.
For Kidist, the achievement is both professional and profoundly personal.
She said: “Earning my PhD is both an academic and deeply personal achievement. It represents years of persistence, sacrifice, uncertainty, family responsibility and hope.
“The PhD is more than a qualification. It symbolises that hardship does not have to define the outcome. It shows that those who are displaced, excluded or forced to start over can still create knowledge, lead change and contribute meaningfully to society.”
Kidist arrived in the UK after being displaced from her home country. Like many refugees and asylum seekers, she faced uncertainty, unfamiliar institutions and the challenge of rebuilding her professional identity.
Her journey with Leeds Beckett University began with an MSc in Entrepreneurship and Business Development. She says staff took a holistic view of her background, helping her navigate documentation requirements and recognising her previous education, experience and potential.
“I did not feel people were simply following procedures or searching for shortcomings. Instead, they genuinely worked with me to find solutions. Their support made me feel welcomed, valued and recognised.”
That support helped her win the Dean’s Prize after completing her master’s degree.
At the same time, she founded Unleashing Refugee Potential, a refugee-led social enterprise that supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants through education, employment, digital inclusion and confidence-building.
Not long after the completion of her MSc, Kidist got involved in one of the externally funded projects of the Carnegie School of Education’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Citizenship, Education and Society (CIRCES), whose work focuses on issues of education, inclusion, citizenship and social justice.
What began as research assistance, developed into funded doctoral study focused on how migrant and refugee families engage with their children’s education. Her research challenges the notion that migrant and refugee parents are disengaged.
During her studies, Kidist also contributed to several externally funded CIRCES research projects, helping to build evidence around the experiences of diverse communities and educational participation.
She added: “Many families care deeply about their children’s education, but their support is not always recognised by schools or systems.”
While family engagement is often measured by attendance at parents’ evenings, use of school apps or formal communication with teachers, her research shows that many families support their children in less visible ways.
These include sacrifice, encouragement, community advice, informal interpretation and support from trusted cultural and religious networks.
Her findings highlight the critical role of ethnic and migrant community groups, which often act as bridges between families and schools.
These organisations help parents understand school expectations, reduce fear, improve communication and ensure schools better understand families’ realities. Yet much of this work is informal, unpaid and under-recognised.
She hopes the research will encourage schools, Ofsted and policymakers to move away from deficit thinking.
“Rather than asking why migrant parents are not engaging, we should ask how they are already engaging and why these forms are not always recognised.”
During her PhD, she balanced academic study with family responsibilities, leadership of URP Leeds, community work and efforts to reunite with her daughters in the UK.
“Being reunited with my daughters was one of the most significant moments of my life. Achieving PhD approval after everything we have been through feels incredibly powerful.”
She also served as a trustee of Poverty Truth Network and was elected to the Governing Board of SIRIUS, an international network focused on migrant education.
She is now looking to the future, with plans to pursue a Marie Curie Fellowship and expand her research internationally.
