Abass Hassan Mohamed, Somalia "I have been admitted to Princeton, the American University"

"Almost a year has gone by since I first talked to IRIN (see Refugee becomes top student).

"I am now 24 years old, and still teach chemistry to students from Standard 7 and 8 classes (aged 12 to 14 on average). My teaching at Midnimo Primary School, in the camp of Ifo, one of the three refugee camps that make up Dadaab, earns me US $55 a month.

"Since I fled Somalia and arrived in Dadaab 13 years ago, I have never left the camp, except for a few days in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, where I went for paperwork.

"But that is about to change, hopefully.

"I have recently been admitted to Princeton, the prestigious American University located in New Jersey, U.S.A. I’m hoping to get a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry there. I have been admitted on a full scholarship, which covers tuition fees and living expenses.

"After taking the Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education in 2004, the Kenyan national exam to enter university, I got the 8th highest score in the country, and the 1st score in Northeast province. But I couldn’t afford university, or even leave the camp, for that matter.

"A Canadian professor then visited the camp in 2003. He encouraged me to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (S.A.T.) exam, required to join American universities. I followed the advice, and passed the test last August, in Nairobi. A professor from Princeton University, who was in Nairobi at the time, interviewed me and I was admitted for the Fall of 2005 session.

"This was hard to achieve. The resources for studying are scarce in Dadaab. Only 3 scholarships were awarded last year.

"I live in a two-room house, with 11 of my family members. It’s hard to concentrate. I have no desk to study on, and there are very few text books in the camp. My home was robbed some time back, and I lost all my possessions.

"There is no electricity in the camps, so I had to study by day, in between teaching hours. It’s not possible to study at night. Turning the lights on might attract robbers. The camp is highly insecure.

"There is no access to the internet in Dadaab, so I don’t know much about Princeton University. I’ll have to wait to get there to get an idea.

"But I wonder what they refer to, in the admission letter, when they say “see you in summer?” What part of the year is it? We have no seasons here. It’s always very, very hot in Dadaab…"