Khalaf Alkhalaf elected Alumnus of the Year 2025

Khalaf Alkhalaf has been elected Alumnus of the Year 2025 by the University of Groningen. He has received the award for his commitment to providing good care and guidance to refugees in the Netherlands and the inspiring way in which he shares his experiences and knowledge with refugees, students, and professionals, including COA staff and police officers. ‘Khalaf inspires other refugees with his perseverance, resilience, intellectual achievements, and dedication to others,’ according to the jury’s report. ‘He shows that it is possible to succeed in your studies and work in the Netherlands despite a difficult start in life, making him an important role model.’

Dutch Council for Refugees

Alkhalaf (1988) is a team leader at the Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk Nederland). He fled Syria ten years ago after being kidnapped by IS. It meant that he was no longer able to continue working there as a nurse in a children’s hospital for Doctors Without Borders. In the Netherlands, he quickly learned Dutch and English, and went on to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies (2021) and a Master’s degree in International Relations (2022) at the UG.

As a team leader, he is now an important point of contact for new refugees. He helps them find their way and also offers a listening ear, hope, and inspiration, and encourages them to take control of their own lives. ‘Don’t sit around doing nothing, take control of your own life, and even if you're not allowed to do much as an asylum seeker, keep making plans, learn Dutch, exercise, eat healthy,’ he tells them. He also gives guest lectures, for example to medical sociology students, about the impact of asylum centres on refugees’ mental health.

Important role model

The jury recognizes Alkhalaf as an important role model. He inspires other refugees with his perseverance, resilience, intellectual achievements, and dedication to others. According to the jury, he shows that it is possible to succeed in your studies and work in the Netherlands despite a difficult start in life, making him an important role model. At the same time, Khalaf’s story shows how important it is that we in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe offer refugees a supportive, humane reception, with the opportunity to continue developing themselves.

During the opening of the academic year on 1 September 2025, Alkhalaf will be one of the speakers. The autumn edition of Broerstraat 5 will include an in-depth interview with him. The April 2023 edition of Broerstraat 5 (www.rug.nl/broerstraat5) already featured an interview with Alkhalaf (in Dutch).