He was the first of his family to make the journey from Syria to Europe, carefully documenting every step of the way to prepare his family for what was about to come. Kamal Alaya knew he was good at geography, reading maps, and planning a path. However, he was very aware that his family would have to put their lives in the hands of human traffickers. People he did not trust. After him, his two brothers followed. A few weeks later, his mom and a brother. Next, a brother by himself. And finally, his dad, alone. Every few weeks, when another relative followed in their footsteps, Kamal and his family had to relive their fear over and over again. It was horrific, knowing what was about to happen but not being able to share his stories with them.

"We couldn't tell them anything. It is such a big risk, and we didn't want to confuse them

and lose their focus. They were already so afraid and so scared." 

He remembers walking for thirteen days; together with a large group of strangers, he traveled from Macedonia to the border of Serbia. Through social media, Kamal ended up traveling with over a hundred people. They walked together for three hundred kilometers, never leaving anyone behind. The group walked for days and days; among them was even a six-year-old girl. All had their own task; some had to carry water or food; others had to explore the road some distance ahead. They took turns carrying the little girl. Kamal vividly remembers the flags on the Serbian border. Rules and regulations were different there, and once you get to Serbia, they cannot send you back.

"It was like one of those checkpoints in a video game.

Once you get to the Serbian border, you are safe."

After thirteen days of walking, the two hundred meters left to the border felt incredibly far away."My mind froze, my muscles froze, my legs froze; I couldn't do it anymore."

The group has stayed together the entire journey, but at this point, it was each and everyone for themselves. Together with fifty others, he had to stop and wait for the morning. After days of hardship, Kamal was finally able to cross the border the next morning. 

A career path for life

In 2015, he arrived in the UK. After a while, he got himself a job working at the post office. It felt like a hopeless situation. He is a very social person who loves to give back to the community, something he was not able to do in this line of work. Although he does not have a formal background in technology, he has always had an interest in it. Back in Syria, his indecisiveness in selecting a career path finally led him to follow the path his parents set out for him. He ended up with a bachelor’s degree in Law.

In the UK, he finally saw his chance to get into the tech world, the field he had always been so intrigued by. He was looking for ways to get into the industry without any success at first. When he was introduced to Blue Road Academy, his life changed completely. In spring 2022, he joined the program in London and finally made his way into the world of tech. It feels like he is back on track on doing something meaningful with his life again. He is currently working as a Salesforce Functional Consultant at EPAM Systems. He is continuously learning more about the Salesforce ecosystem and truly feels he is making progress. "I never considered Salesforce as part of my career path before, now I want to do it for the rest of my life." Being able to move forward has brought him a lot. Kamal ended up in the UK, but his family settled down in Germany. Finally, he is able to visit his loved ones regularly. A few months ago, he met his sister for the first time in ten years. She is a mother of three now, and seeing these children for the first time was an indescribable feeling. A feeling of pure happiness and a realization of how much they have all been through over the years.