Illustrations by maksymdraws

I am a teacher. But when I return home, I am simply a mum again. I dance in the kitchen with my children, teach them about their Caribbean roots, cook our food, share our traditions and our stories.

I came to the UK in 2021 after being forced to leave my home because of persecution. I arrived with fear in my heart, but also with hope that one day my children and I would be safe again. 

For years, I waited. I wasn’t allowed to work. I couldn’t plan my future. But I refused to let waiting define who I am. 

When I was invited to be part of Refugee Action’s More Than a Refugee project and saw the illustrations created about me, something shifted. For the first time, I felt truly seen. Not as a label. Not as a number. But as a woman with dreams, joy, strength and purpose. 

Those illustrations show who I really am — a mother who dances in her kitchen with her children, a woman who loves teaching, a volunteer, a Caribbean woman holding onto her roots, and a teacher in the making. They show my hope. 

Back home I worked in nursing. Here, I discovered a new calling in education. I became a teaching assistant and completed the qualification. Now I’m preparing to gain my Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status. I also teach English to others going through the same journey I once faced, so no one has to feel as isolated as I did. 

To be more than a refugee is to be a whole human being. It is to carry pain and still choose hope. It is to rebuild, to lead, to give back and to believe in a better future. 

Thank you to Refugee Action and to everyone who supports this work. Because of you, stories like mine are not just about survival. They are about strength, growth and possibility. 

I am more than a refugee. I am Shelly.