Schuyler Burke

Editor’s note: This column was submitted to the Texan by a member of the UT community.

My name is Qusay Hussein, and I am a refugee from Mosul, Iraq. In 2006 I was the victim of a suicide bombing. After extensive recovery in Jordan and realizing that as a blind man I would have a limited future if I stayed in the Middle East, I was accepted by the United States as a refugee, and fate and God chose Austin as my new home. A couple of short years later, I was welcomed as a transfer student by the University of Texas and by my fellow Longhorns — and I’ve been here ever since. UT and the Steve Hicks School of Social Work are now part of my spirit and are with me everywhere I go. 

Over the years UT and SHSSW have embraced me in a loving community. I find myself constantly surrounded by people who are eager to help me and who I am always willing to help. Through the University of Texas, I have established a solid educational foundation. I strive to succeed for myself, for the family I left behind in Iraq, and for my friends and colleagues. In education, everyone in the community contributes to our learning experience and, hopefully, we can contribute to theirs. If we are committed to supporting each other, our community can prosper through the diversity of our ideas, stories, and experiences. 

I have earned a few degrees here at UT, but I have gained far more — the wonderful people who make up this community have made me a better person. I am extremely grateful to UT and the many amazing people who continue to support me throughout my education, especially at the School of Social Work where I found the people who believed in me. Before my injury, I dreamt of being a surgeon because I wanted to heal. The team at SHSSS has worked with me to find a new path to healing others. As I continue work on my Ph.D. in Social Work, I have chosen to work with and learn from other refugees and trauma victims and other people going through tough times. When I was injured, I did receive trauma counseling because the people around me did not know how to help. Now, my dream is to use that experience to empathize and support others. 

Through this community I am living a new life. I aspire to give back to this community that has been part of my transformation. As I continue forward in my life, UT’s spirit will always be with me. UT’s spirit of kindness is with me when I am giving motivational speeches to other people with disabilities. UT’s spirit of curiosity is with me when I engage with healthcare professionals who are curious to learn about the best ways to help their patients who have experienced trauma and forced displacement. UT’s spirit of tenacity is with me when I work with other students striving to reach their own goals and overcome their own challenges. UT’s spirit of community is with me every day as I walk across campus, travel across town, or fly across the ocean. I challenge each of you to find the spirit of UT within yourself and share it with each other as we journey this world together.

Hussein is a Ph.D. candidate at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work from Mosul, Iraq.