Growing up in a family that valued academic achievement, Golsa Yousefnejad was intent on going to university but her temporary visa status as an asylum seeker proved to be a major hurdle.
Ms Yousefnejad fled Iran with her family in 2013 aged 14 and sought asylum in Australia after arriving by boat.
She spent months on Christmas Island and in a Melbourne detention centre, describing her teenage years as difficult and hard to forget.
She attended high school in culturally diverse western Sydney and powered through to get good grades and go on to university.
But the restrictions on her visa meant she had to enrol as an international student with expensive tuition fees her family could not afford.
"I used to attend career expo every single year," she told AAP.
"I would go around asking every university and walking around with my visa if I could apply, but they didn't even know about the visa.
"It was really difficult watching other kids and the only worry they had was what they wanted to study, where as mine was wondering if I would ever get to further my education."
She was giddy when she was granted a humanitarian scholarship by the University of Technology Sydney after her school career adviser pushed her to apply.
"I thought it was a done deal in my head that I wouldn't go, and then all of a sudden I could," Ms Yousefnejad said.
She recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in business and creative intelligence.
Ms Yousefnejad has interned with Macquarie Group and learnt from industry partners such as Google.
Caroline Fleay from Curtin University's Centre for Human Rights Education said while the scholarships provided transformative opportunities, tertiary institutions should do more to meet the study requirements of asylum seekers on temporary visas.
More than 200 scholarships have been offered by 23 universities across Australia to people on temporary visas in the last five years.
Months before her graduation ceremony, Ms Yousefnejad hit the job market and applied for many positions but was rejected by several employers.
Again, her temporary visa proved to be a stumbling block against a pre-requisite for permanent residency.
"It was insane the amount of anxiety and stress I went through to apply for jobs and get rejections," she said.
But the constant knockbacks did not dissuade her.
In June, the Albanese government announced a $1.5 million commitment to enable more than 375 refugees to find employment in partnership with corporate giants including IKEA and Woolworths.
Earlier this year, Ms Yousefnejad was able to land a spot with the NSW government's graduate program working in regional development.
"I fought really hard and I am very grateful for the opportunity," she said.
Ms Yousefnejad is still waiting for a pathway to permanent residency but her resilience has not wavered.
"No matter what has happened in life, no matter if it's positive or negative, you've got to break through it," she said.
