WHEN Yacouba Traore arrived in the UK seeking asylum, he couldn’t speak a word of English.

He came to the UK as a 16-year-old unaccompanied minor after both of his parents, who were high profile political activists, were murdered in the Ivory Coast, West Africa, whilst he was in the middle of his homework at the family home.

He was traumatised, alone, disorientated and being unable to speak the new language he was surrounded by, making conversation was almost impossible.

He moved to live with a foster family on Teesside, anxious and worried about not being able to communicate, but he had an innovative way of making things easier.

"We immediately began to use Google Translate to communicate, bringing back memories for them of learning basic French at school at least 38 years ago.

"On top of the language barrier, getting used to the English weather and the food provided two other big challenges. The contrast with the culture I had grown up in could not have been greater.

"My foster family took me into their home and they treated me like one of their own children. They were always there to support me when I was finding things difficult. They went above and beyond their remit to give me the emotional stability and support I so badly needed."

Through their support and encouragement, he progressed from being unable to speak English to study English (GCSE) and a BTEC Extended Diploma in IT at Stockton Riverside College. He achieved the highest possible grades on the course and picked up a triple distinction star.

He went on to win a range of awards including Young Person of the Year from Stockton Borough Council, Student of the Year from Stockton Riverside College, Resilience Awards from Cultures CiC , Outstanding Volunteer of the Year from National Citizen Service and Young Community Awards by Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland.

"My life has been turned around by the love, support and encouragement of the people who have come into my life since I arrived in the UK and I would like to thank them all.

"If I had not experienced the traumatic loss of my parents, my life would have been very different. I would have been expected to go to University in the country of my birth and would have probably then followed in my father’s footsteps and studied Economics.

"The reason why I chose instead to study IT was because of my personal experience of being able to use Google Translate to integrate into the UK. This modern technology provided a life-changing experience for me and I get much satisfaction from being able to share my knowledge."

Last week his foster family proudly watched on as Yacouba graduated from Teesside University. He has already secured a graduate job at Sage UK, a major software company based in Newcastle. He graduated from the School of Computing & Digital Technologies with BSc (Hons) Information Technology.

"The four years that I have been a student at Teesside University have been an amazing experience and I am so grateful for all the opportunities and support that I have been given. I would like to say a big thank you to all my family, friends, peers and all the wonderful lecturers and tutors who have inspired me to succeed. I have also had a great time making lots of wonderful friends.

"I want to share my story to show that whatever setbacks happen in our lives, it does not mean that we have to let go of our dreams. If we have belief in ourselves many of life’s obstacles can be overcome.

"The next chapter of my life is about to begin, as I start my professional career working for Sage in Newcastle on their Graduate Scheme Programme as a Graduate Engineer. This is an exciting time and I am now able to look forward to the future with confidence. I am excited and look forward to getting started. Word will never be enough to say just how happy I am.

"My message is – believe in yourself, never give up, with hard work, everything is possible."

Abbie English, deputy director of student recruitment and marketing at Teesside University, added: “Yacouba has been a fantastic ambassador for the University during his time here. He has worked incredibly hard, demonstrated a great attitude, enthusiasm and work ethic and we wish him well for the future.”