Ariana has made Aberdeen her home

Ariana moved from Iran to Aberdeen to pursue her dream of studying science as she was accepted into the University of Aberdeen to study marine ecology. Although she was excited about her studies, she was nervous of her limited English skills and moving away from her siblings and her parents. 

Ariana first came to the Employability team in late 2023 to work on her English, interviewing skills, and for support to identify roles that would help her pursue her dream of working with fisheries.  

The Employability team worked with Ariana to identify ways to develop her working English. Our team identified a number of English practice resources both online and in-person that were suitable for her needs. She was also encouraged to speak English while engaging with us, rather than relying on a translator.  

She was linked with an English speaker looking to develop their Farsi and the two now talk regularly and meet up for coffee in Aberdeen city centre. The meet ups have helped her improve her English and as a result, her social network has started to grow as well. Building on her desire to socialise and get out more, our team identified a beach clean-up and tree planting volunteer group. Ariana now attends both groups regularly which has improved her wellbeing and helped her to work on her English skills. 

After getting more comfortable with her English, Ariana was looking to expand her work experience in the marine field and asked our team for support in identifying training opportunities. With our support, Ariana enrolled on Sea fish health and safety course in December 2023.  

During her time working with our team Ariana gained a driving licence, moved home, graduated, improved her English skills, attended training, has a social group and has since entered employment and is enjoying her life in Aberdeen, which she has now made her home.