Raziq Qasimi

From refugee to law student and speaker at an international human rights conference, Raziq Qasimi has continued his amazing journey since graduating from Brisbane Grammar School in 2014.

Qasimi attended BGS in Years 11 and 12 thanks to a bursary, and he’s been paying it forward ever since. Now in his final year studying a Bachelor of Justice/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at QUT, Qasimi knows exactly what he wants to do when he graduates.

‘I consider myself a human rights activist and I do want to become a human rights lawyer. For me, human rights are all about small acts of kindness towards the most marginalised members of our society,’ Qasimi said. ‘It doesn’t have to be at UN or at an international level, though this is a dream.

‘Volunteering with your local human rights organisation is also contributing.’

His experience fleeing Afghanistan has inspired him to help others. While at BGS, Qasimi volunteered at the Homework Club, helping refugee children much like his younger self.

For the last three years he has been on the board of the Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT), and he says it’s a huge honour and privilege to contribute to the broader multicultural society of Brisbane.

‘My passion and desire will always be to assist the most disadvantaged members of our domestic and global society in any capacity that I can.’

Earlier this year, QPASTT hosted the second Australia and New Zealand Refugee Trauma Recovery in Resettlement Conference, and Qasimi saw the opportunity to educate and inform school students. ‘As part of this conference, QPASTT invited about 600 students mainly from private and Catholic schools to attend the conference. We thought private schools do not get enough exposure to refugee issues and we thought this was a perfect chance to do that,’ Qasimi said.

‘The School Engagement Session and the whole conference went fantastically well and we received plenty of great feedback. I thought the session was informative and inspiring for young students.’

Drawing on his own experience, Qasimi also presented a paper to the main conference about issues faced by young refugees in Queensland.

Qasimi’s family is a member of the Hazara, an ethnic group native to central Afghanistan. It was Qasimi’s older brother who paved the way to a future in Australia, traveling here by boat in 1999.

He’s says he’s very proud to be the first Aghani-Australian refugee to have attended Brisbane Grammar School.

‘BGS is an institution well known for nurturing boys of high academic and professional excellence. I met some wonderful and inspiring teachers at BGS. The education that you receive at BGS is certainly second to none.

‘I will always be grateful for the generosity of donors who provided me with this amazing opportunity.

‘I have made extraordinary and lifelong connections at BGS.’