When Ramla Tyrow walked on to the stage to collect her diploma, she shared that joy with one of the most important people in her life – her mum.
Ramla, 21, came to the UK in 1999 with her family to seek a better life and escape from the decades of civil war in Somalia.
“My mum moved us here to give us a better future. Somalia wasn’t a very child-friendly place then,” Ramla told the BBC.
“Just after the ceremony, my mum told me how unbelievably proud she was that I was the first person in her family to graduate from university.”
The heart-warming moment showing Ramla’s mother, Fardowsa, crying on her daughter’s shoulder has been shared thousands of times on Twitter.
The tweet is captioned: “Mama you ran from a civil war so I could be safe and get the education you didn’t.
“Today you cried when you saw me in my robe. Did it for you.”
Ramla attended Middlesex University in north-west London and obtained her degree in Psychology and Counselling.
“The day was really hectic but it was amazing,” she said.
“I couldn’t have been more happy with my results. I worked extra hard.
“I went to dinner last night with friends to celebrate and will do so with family on Sunday.”
The 21-year-old, who lives in east London, has already starred in the YouTube show BKChat LDN, a panel-led chat show exploring “relationships, society and the future of our generation”.
Speaking of her plans for the future, Ramla said: “I want to grow, become my own person, be creative and just be myself.”
By Lamia Estatie, UGC and Social News team
