When Elham Fardad arrived in the UK in 1986, she was just 13 years old. She had le behind a life in Iran, stepping into an unfamiliar world with little understanding of what lay ahead. Like many immigrant children, she faced the shock of change, new language, new culture, and new expectations. But for Elham, those challenges quickly paled in comparison to something much more personal. Her family separated soon aer the move, and suddenly she found herself navigating financial struggles and visa issues on her own, all while becoming a young carer.

It wasn’t the typical story of settling in with support and stability. Instead, Elham had to figure things out through raw resilience. One of the most defining moments of her early life came five years later. At 18, desperate to pursue higher education, she camped outside the Birmingham City Council offices, pleading for the chance to be granted “home status.” That status would determine whether she could go to university like her peers or be locked out of opportunity entirely. Her persistence paid off. The council supported her, and Elham went on to graduate, qualify as an accountant, and by the age of 25, was already a financial controller at GE.

Her corporate success was remarkable. She spent 23 years in finance at GE, News Corp, and EY, climbing to roles that most could only dream of. But even then, something didn’t sit right. “It didn’t seem like a reasonable return on investment for all that I had endured and overcome,” she says. Her personal success, while meaningful, no longer felt like enough. That realization pushed her toward something more lasting, a legacy.

In 2017, she launched Migrant Leaders, a UK-based nonprofit offering mentorship and development for young people from underrepresented backgrounds. What started as a seed of an idea has since grown into a national initiative, with nearly 4,000 mentees across the UK and more than 2,000 mentors from over 95 FTSE100 and leading firms. Through this work, Elham finally found the kind of fulfillment that comes from lifting others as you rise.

Still, the milestone that makes her proudest isn’t any award, promotion, or professional achievement. It’s that through it all, decades of adversity, wins and losses, doubts and decisions. she didn’t lose herself. “There are no guarantees in life,” she reflects,“ but the one thing no one can take from you is your character.”

Her immigrant journey has fundamentally shaped how she sees the world. Perhaps she would have still been driven and successful had she never le Iran, but it was the pressure, the upheaval, and the loneliness that forced her to meet the deepest parts of herself. It was adversity that revealed her purpose.

To Elham, resilience isn’t just about survival or bouncing back aer hardship. It’s about having the mental discipline to be strategic, the humility to accept what you can’t control, and the grit to keep showing up, regardless of how things turn out. “You’re not just taking punches,” she says. “You’re learning how to move with them. You’re learning how to lead yourself.”

So what keeps her moving forward aer everything? Her children. And the thousands of children she supports through her work. “Our children as a society are our future,” she says simply. That belief powers everything she does.

For immigrants just starting out, her advice is clear: “Remember you came here to succeed, not to fail. Respect the laws and customs of your host country. And always remember your culture and heritage.” It’s a balancing act, holding on to your roots while building a new life and Elham has spent decades walking that line.

Looking back, she’s reminded of the stories she watched as a child about Marco Polo and his grand adventures. Now, as she reflects on her own journey, one filled with courage, loss, faith, and fierce purpose, she finally understands how he felt. “As an immigrant,” she says, “I feel like I can fly.”