THE Finnish Refugee Council has named former Worcester student Fatbardhe Hetemaj Refugee Woman of the Year.

Miss Hetemaj, who was born in Kosovo, was recognised for her work in rooting out racism in public places. She has intervened in racist behaviour on public transport, schools and work places. When looking for work, she challenged employers about why she was not chosen for jobs for which she met the selection criteria.

The Finnish Refugee Council said Miss Hetemaj, aged 23, has not let prejudices stand in the way of her dreams and that she has proved that refugees can aim for leading positions in business and society.

“I feel honoured to have won this award,” she said. “I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Finnish Refugee Council and all my family and friends for their faith and confidence posed in me.

“It gives me immense pleasure to be a great example to all in the fight against xenophobia and school bullying.

“Everyone should have the right to be themselves without everyday threat or fear. I realised that with hard work and trying not to compromise on too many things, I really encourage many people to become more positive.”

Miss Hetemaj arrived in Finland with her family in 1992, living at a refugee reception centre in Oulu before moving to Helsinki. She spent three years at the University of Worcester from September 2005 studying Business Management and Combined Studies.

She said: “I loved the University of Worcester because of its friendly and straightforward environment and its location. I never faced any prejudice in Worcester. What I really enjoyed and loved was that people were always smiling in the streets – it was contagious.

While studying I used to clean the Dive bar at the Students’ Union and work in a shoe shop office.”

Fatbardhe now works for an IT firm in Helsinki.

Her brothers, Perparim, 22, and Mehmet, 21, both play for the Finnish national football team as well as professional teams AEK and Panionos respectively, both in Greece.

The 12th annual title of Refugee Woman of the Year was given for work undertaken to combat racism and xenophobia.

The award is aimed at promoting the position of refugee women in Finnish society.