Mohammad Mohammadi has risked his life on a daily basis, been thrown in jail and faced drowning at sea on an asylum seeker boat.
Now he has been recognised as one of Canberra's most determined and courageous academic achievers.
The 18-year-old Afghan national has spent most of his life fleeing religious persecution.
He and his family were forced to cross the border into Pakistan when he was just three, after the Taliban set out to kill the Hazara minority.
A few years later, the family's new country turned on them as well.
''Every day I walked out the front door I wondered if I will come home again that night,'' Mr Mohammadi said.
''Our people were getting targeted and killed, we were always at risk and we had no access to government services like hospitals and schools,'' he said.
''It was well known that we were Hazara people and one day I was taken to jail for selling socks on the street, and because I was there illegally and had no documentation.
''They let me pay them a bribe because I was so young. I was very lucky.''
Mr Mohammadi enrolled in Dickson College's Refugee Bridging Program last year after arriving in Australia by boat.
His mother had made significant financial sacrifices to hire a tutor to teach her son, the eldest of six, how to speak English so he could have a better life in a new country.
He spent six days and nights on a boat with 150 other people, travelling across storm-swept oceans from Pakistan to Malaysia, Indonesia and finally Australia.
He joined seven other ACT students in receiving a Country Women's Association grant of $350 for displaying courage and determination to complete his studies.
It is an unexpected but extremely exhilarating recognition for Mr Mohammadi.
''When I arrived in Australia, I could not believe I had survived the risks and danger, it was like a dream,'' he said.
''On the boat, women and children had been sick, with no food or water.
''A big storm came in the middle of the night and water was coming on board. We had to get it out with buckets to stop from sinking.
''We were all sitting crouched in balls and could not even stand up.
''When I got off the boat, in Darwin, I could barely walk.
''It took me a month to get feeling back in my legs.
''Now I am so proud of it all.
''I am so happy now that I worked hard to learn English, that I can speak, I can write and I can understand. It is such a pleasure for me to improve my studies here.''
Mr Mohammadi completed Year 11 English, maths, programming, robotics and IT courses last year and hopes to finish his Year 12 certificate so he can continue his computer studies at the Canberra Institute of Technology.
He is excited to be putting the $350 grant towards buying his own laptop so he can study beyond the public library opening hours.
Mr Mohammadi is grateful to all of his teachers, to the school principal Beth Mitchell and to Australia for giving him the opportunity to learn and he is determined to give back to society.
''I call my family once a week and promise them that now I am safe, I will work hard and do my study, that I will get some jobs so I can help them,'' he said. ''I hope I will complete my education and become a useful person for the society and for my family, so I can have a happy life here.''
ACT Education Minister Chris Bourke presented the seven students with their awards at a ceremony on Friday and encouraged them not to give up their quest for an education.
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