The sky’s the limit – One day I’m going to be the world’s first female Syrian refugee pilot – The Sun

“Saying ‘Captain Maya Ghazal’ to air-traffic control for the very first time, I got goosebumps. Next to me was a teddy bear I’d brought with me from Syria, and as I looked down at the world below, I felt so proud.

Growing up in Damascus with my mum Rimah, now 40, dad Ayman, 56, and my brothers Jamal, 15, and Abd Al Latif, 10, I liked hanging out at the mall, watching movies and doing maths and physics at school.

But when I was 11, in March 2011, violence broke out after peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad. The country descended into war as rebels fought government forces.

By 2013, it was no longer safe to walk to school in case we got caught up in the bombing. I moved schools three times to avoid the fighting, and some days I wouldn’t go at all if we heard explosions and helicopters.

It was terrifying, and I’d always say goodbye to friends and family as if it might be the last time.

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