A GIRL who escaped the war in Syria has defied the odds to come away with her GCSEs.

For many students, GCSE results day is the culmination of several years hard work and is the first step to shaping their future.

But one pupil at Ysgol Y Grango in Rhos overcame a greater obstacle than any of her fellow pupils could imagine in attaining her grades.

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Hasna Ali, 16, is originally from Aleppo in Syria, and moved to Rhos two years ago as a refugee.

Syria has been embroiled in a brutal civil war since 2011 and Hasna's tale is similar to many other families who have been forced to leave their home for their own safety.

Her family's harrowing journey to Wrexham involved an arduous five hour trek across the desert, where they eventually made it to a refugee camp across the border in Iraq.

After then spending time living in a town in Iraq Hasna's family still felt unsafe, so applied for a refugee programme through the Red Cross. The programme offered the opportunity to move to the UK, something the family did without hesitation.

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When Hasna eventually made it the UK in 2016 she spoke very little English, but thanks to her teachers at Ysgol Y Grango, along with her own steely determination she has come away with an impressive set of grades.

Hasna said: "All the teachers at Grango helped me a lot, if they didn't help out I would not be in the position I am today.

"I'm happy with my results. Hopefully I can go to university now and study medicine. In future I would like to become a doctor or a surgeon.

"I love it here in Wrexham, the people here are so lovely and have helped me so much since coming here."

Kate Williams, deputy head of Ysgol Y Grango, said: "She came to Grango from Aleppo in October of 2016 and when she arrived she couldn't speak any English.

"She has integrated so well, she's not had any trouble making friends and getting on with people.

"She's done absolutely amazing, everyone at the school is so proud of her."

Louise Hollingsworth, English as an additional language (EAL) tutor at Grango, said: "It's absolutely nerve-wracking coming to another country anyway, so to see her do so well is incredible.

"Me and the other EAL tutor have been helping Hasna since 2017 and she's come on so far since then, it's incredible really."

"We she arrived she had the basics down, hello, thank you, that sort of thing but not much else.

"But since then I've seen a big difference in her. We would sit down with her at lunchtimes to help boost her confidence and it really helped.

"The other students were great as well, they didn't need any encouragement to talk to her and she quickly made friends.