I was just one year old when my parents decided to flee from the harsh social and political circumstances that prevailed in Iraq. I was too young to remember the three-year lasting journey from Baghdad to the Netherlands, but my parents’ stories have made me realise how blessed I am to have fair prospects in a beautiful country – instead of growing up in a corrupt, unjust system. I have had a very happy childhood in a small village where I was raised. I was just an ordinary kid that loved to play outside. It was my playful character – perhaps among other things, such as my cultural background – I believe, that motivated my elementary school teachers to advise me to continue with vmbo-basis education, which is the Dutch equivalent to the lowest level of the Lower General Secondary Education. My parents refused this advice, as they knew that a child whose dad finished medicine, and whose mom finished physics, was capable of studying and working at an intellectual level.
A long clash between my parents and my teachers resulted in a third-party intervention that examined my cognitive abilities. Based on these test results, their recommendation was to allow me to continue with vwo, that is, Pre-University Education. The inconsistency between the beliefs of my parents and the cognitive test outcomes on the one hand, and the beliefs of my teachers on the other hand, resulted in a compromise where I could follow vmbo-t/havo education – that is, a combination of Lower and Higher General Secondary Education – where I was to demonstrate my best educational fit.
I got high grades in my first year of secondary education, and I continued with havo in my second year. I received my havo-diploma, and because I was motivated and convinced that I am capable of more, I continued with vwo. I received my vwo-diploma after two years.
My dispositional curiosity and my interest in culture and behaviour drew me into the study of psychology. At the VU Amsterdam, I completed my bachelor, and I proceeded with and completed a psychology research master.
Soon after, I started with a Ph.D., at the VU Amsterdam as well, on the assessment of refugees; something I am still doing. In my work, I examine the importance of psychological individual differences as predictors of successful integration of refugees.
Who knows how my life would have looked like now if my parents would have just followed the advice of my elementary school teachers? This story has yet a range of 26 years, and am curious about the years that will follow. I owe much appreciation to my parents who showed me the importance of resilience and perseverance. I have carried this attitude through my studies, and I came to believe that success and meaning come from taking responsibility.
Dan
The VU Education day with its theme Powerful Stories has inspired me to write down my own story