A College of Sanctuary

Marta Popyk, Master of Public Policy, Ukraine Scholarship

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Marta moved to Canada, where she served as a constituency assistant to a Member of the House of Commons. Eventually, she returned to Ukraine to be at home during a critical time in her country’s history. Before joining the Somerville community to pursue her Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, Marta worked to build partnerships to raise awareness about the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia through the Bring Kids Back UA initiative in the Office of the President of Ukraine. She also volunteered as a project coordinator for the Ukrainian World Congress initiative, sourcing critical energy infrastructure to support Ukraine’s energy grid damaged by relentless Russian attacks. Earlier in her career, Marta worked in the Ukrainian Parliament, ran for her city council, and developed expertise in renewable energy and urban studies.

Prince Donald Forghab, Master of Public Policy, AfOx Sanctuary Scholarship

Prince is originally from Cameroon, a country which for decades has been known as the foster child of peace. However, In 2016, a stark conflict erupted in the English minority regions of the country as marginalised communities demanded more government intervention. Although this started as a series of sectoral grievances, the crisis quickly sparked into a violent conflict between separatist forces and the government. As one of the most neglected conflicts globally, as per Human Rights Watch, many families and individuals like Prince have been unable to return to their communities nor received the necessary humanitarian attention to end the conflict. Despite affecting his family’s livelihood, Prince didn’t relent. He moved to the nation’s capital, where he studied towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Peace and Development Studies as leverage to develop policies that respond to conflict-inflicted communities in Cameroon. Upon graduating as Valedictorian in 2021, Prince worked in several humanitarian sectors before coming to Oxford to study for a Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnilk School of Government. Upon graduation, he hopes to work for the African Union to catalyze development policies on the African Continent.

Rukhsar Balkhi, MSc Modern South Asian Studies, EAA Qatar Sanctuary Scholarship

Rukhsar is an MSc student in Modern South Asian Studies at Somerville College, studying at the School of Global and Area Studies. Also, she is pursuing a Master of International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where she concentrates on International Security Policy with a specialization in U.N. Studies and International Organizations. Rukhsar holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Rights and Social Studies from Bard College, New York. 

Her professional journey includes valuable experiences across diverse roles, such as serving as a Diplomatic Tech Assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, a Project Assistant with Afghans for Progressive Thinking, a Business Officer for a USAID project with People in Need, and as Deputy Coordinator at the Lincoln Learning Center. She recently interned as a Policy and Planning Intern with the U.N. Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), where she contributed to initiatives aimed at strengthening peace and security policies. 

Driven by her passion for empowering youth and women, Rukhsar founded the Youth in Diplomacy and Policy Making initiative and the Women Empowerment and Growth Organization. She is also the Co-Founder of the Mawlana International Model United Nations, an impactful platform that has engaged over 500 youths in peacebuilding, policymaking, and civic engagement. 

Rukhsar’s future goals are rooted in her commitment to promoting justice, advancing Sustainable Development Goals, and creating educational opportunities for women and marginalized communities. She aspires to work in foreign affairs and U.N. policy to pave the way for more women in diplomacy and global affairs, ultimately contributing to a more equitable world. 

Lina Altaan Al Hariri, MSc Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, Peggie Rimmer Sanctuary Scholarship

My name is Lina Altaan Al Hariri, and I was born and raised in the cradle of the Syrian revolution, Daraa. In 2016, my family and I moved to the United States through the International Organization for Migration and were resettled in Rhode Island. With nothing but a one-way ticket to Providence, a large IOM document, and no passports, we began our new life.

I hold an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island and am currently pursuing an MSc in Refugees and Forced Migration. Most of my work focuses on displaced people, and I am deeply passionate about the intersection of politics and healthcare. I am particularly interested in examining how political decisions and policies create and exacerbate health crises that impact countless lives. After completing my master’s degree, I plan to pursue medicine in the U.S., combining my knowledge of policy with a career dedicated to addressing health inequities.

At Oxford, I volunteer with Asylum Welcome and serve as a co-chair of the Refugee Rights Campaign. Although I am relatively new to these communities, I hope that by the end of my course, I will contribute to making at least one more Oxford college a sanctuary college, like Somerville.

My ultimate dream is to become a doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). While my current studies may not directly focus on medicine, the connection is deeper than it seems—politics lies at the heart of healthcare. Even though the road ahead is long, I look forward to the walk, finding joy in the beautiful scenery that unfolds along the way. I hope and pray to embrace each step of the journey, cherishing every moment as I work toward achieving my life’s goal.

Wantoe Teah Wantoe, MSc in Education (Comparative and International Education), University of Oxford, Somerville Sanctuary Scholarship

Wantoe Teah Wantoe is a Somerville Sanctuary Scholar at the University of Oxford, where he is pursuing an MSc in Education (Comparative and International Education) at the Department of Education. Having grown up as a refugee in the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana’s Gomoa District, Wantoe’s journey exemplifies resilience and a steadfast commitment to transforming adversity into opportunity.  

Currently, Wantoe serves as the Executive Director of the Center for African Policy and  Scholarly Path, organizations dedicated to advancing educational opportunities and policy innovation in Africa. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of AFS Intercultural Programs, contributing to the expansion of global intercultural learning initiatives.  

A passionate advocate for human rights, education, and youth development, Wantoe has championed initiatives that empower marginalized communities. As the youth representative to Liberia’s Independent National Human Rights Commission, he spearheaded projects to protect vulnerable populations and document human rights violations. During Liberia’s Ebola outbreak, Wantoe’s work documenting the experiences of orphaned children gained international recognition, leading to his selection as the youngest preliminary speaker at the **United Nations World Humanitarian Summit  in 2016.  

In 2023, Wantoe was honoured as the National Flag Day Orator, delivering a powerful speech on peaceful elections and the transformative power of education. His efforts have earned him numerous accolades, including the Princess Diana Award (2019) and recognition as one of eight **Young Pacesetters for African Development by the African Renaissance and Diaspora Network. He was also featured in Pembroke College’s 400 Characters gallery, which celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the Oxford community over the past 400 years.  

As a Somerville Sanctuary Scholar, Wantoe is committed to using education as a tool for social change, continuing his mission to empower youth, promote inclusivity, and foster sustainable development in Africa and beyond.

Christin Alhalabi, MSc Social Anthropology, EAA Qatar Sanctuary Scholarship

Christin joined the Somerville community in October 2024 as an MSc student in Social Anthropology. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Bard College Berlin, concentrating in Ethics & Politics while studying a variety of other disciplines such as literature and visual arts. Her life trajectory made her an anthropologist before she embarked on this academic journey since she lived on four continents and six countries, often with host families learning five languages along the way by age twenty-four.

Christin is from the mountainous city of As-Suwayda in the south of Syria. Although she left the country in 2015, Syria is the nourishment of her academic questions, the reason she studied politics, and the celebrated theme of her art. While in Berlin, she worked on an archival project tracing Syrian women’s stories in Syria and the diaspora with the question: “What does womanhood mean to you?” She exhibited these stories in a book at the cultural space Haus der Statistik. In Rio de Janeiro, where she did her year of study abroad, she was inspired to trace Arab history in Brazil to understand her place within it. This culminated in her bachelor thesis, which she wrote in Portuguese and English, tracing Syrian-Lebanese narratives of migration, love, and belonging. She is a passionate story collector and storyteller and does her own creative projects in writing, comics, audio stories, and painting.