Former scholarship student launches robotics courses for children

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locationTürkiye
- Programme
- Pathway for Higher Education in Türkiye
- Services
- Scholarships
- SME Coaching
Aysha's journey began at the age of fourteen when she discovered her love for programming and set her heart on becoming a computer science engineer. Unfortunately, as war broke out in Syria, she was forced to flee her home three times, disrupting her education and making her dreams feel unattainable. But Aysha's determination was strong and she insisted on continuing her studies. “I knew education was the solution”, she recalls.
In 2013, Aysha’s family made the difficult decision to leave Syria and seek refuge in Türkiye. Despite her difficult circumstances and language barriers, Aysha graduated from high school with flying colours. After a year of hard work and searching for opportunities, she continued her academic career by joining the Optics and Acoustics Engineering department at the University Gaziantep in southeastern Türkiye. Her academic journey was challenging, and she had to juggle her studies with part-time jobs to survive financially, while still developing her skills in robotics.
“Graduating from university is good, but graduating from the university with SPARK is excellent.”
During her university studies, Aysha discovered SPARK’s Integrated Pathway for higher education in Türkiye programme funded by the European Union, which offers higher education support to young Syrian refugees and vulnerable Turkish youth. Aysha received a scholarship and benefited from training and mentoring to develop her leadership and employability skills.
“Graduating from university is good, but graduating from the university with SPARK is excellent,” explains Aysha. “I actively participated in SPARK’s activities and training, which helped me find the best version of Aysha. I wanted to believe that I could do more than being an optics and acoustics engineer. SPARK helped me to make it real!”

Teaching robotics to children
Aysha perfected her skills in robotics and her determination has led to the launch of her startup. Takweed provides online courses for children to learn about robotics, coding, artificial intelligence and prototyping products. Her online courses, which were launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, have a significant following, reaching over 200 children.
From the devastation of war to realising her dream as a robotics educator, she exemplifies the strength of the human spirit and the transformative power of education. Aysha’s story serves as an inspiration for all those facing adversity, reminding us that with determination and support, we can build a brighter future and make a positive impact on the lives of others.