As part of International Women's Day 2021, we are celebrating this country's incredible women. We can learn a lot when we pass the microphone. So instead of telling her own story, our publisher Assia Benmedjdoub hands it over to her mum Elena.
Since my early years at primary school, I wanted to grow into an independent person and achieve something I can be proud of. Luckily, almost at the same time I realised that the only way for me to achieve that was education.
As I was born and lived in the Soviet Union, it meant a strict and comprehensive education. No preference for science or humanity subjects. Almost like being “ambidextrous” – a requirement to be good at both.
At the age of 13, I discovered Lomonosov Moscow State University – the top Soviet Union’s University. Immediately, I decided that this is what I need to achieve my goals and started working even harder at school.
The Soviet University entrance system was completely different from the Western World’s one. In the USSR you had to have highest mark for your HSC equivalent exams, then sit for university entrance exams and land among applicants with top score.
After my second attempt I made it to the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics. I was graduated with M.Sc degree in Applied Mathematics.
In my second last year I met my future husband – a PhD student from Algeria, North Africa. Once he defended his PhD theses in low temperature plasma, our young family of three moved to Algeria.
Soon our little girl Assia was born. We thought we were settled there for life.
At that time, we didn’t realise how wrong we were. The birth of Al-Qaeda preaching removal of everything foreign from Muslim countries and collapse of the Soviet Union forced us to look for a third country that would offer safety, opportunities and better life in general.
And so in the early 90s, our family landed in a country called Australia.
In recent times, Australian brands and businesses have begun to share stories like ours. On this day, it gives me great pleasure to share mine.