00:00Friendships formed in the classroom but bonded together by their shared experiences.
00:08I came from a world where all I knew about growing up is conflict, starving, like not peaceful, just all war.
00:17Mazen Al-Jahed was only a child when his family fled civil war in Syria
00:22and spent weeks in a Lebanese refugee camp before arriving in South Australia.
00:27Sometimes you would eat just one meal or two meals a day just to be able to get through the day.
00:33And the meals, they're terrible.
00:36But he hasn't been alone in adjusting to life in Australia, with the support of school friends who shared his journey.
00:43Kwama Yuday and her family left Syria and fled to Jordan, keen to start a new life.
00:49Adapting was one of the hardest parts for me. It was adapting to the language, it was adapting to the culture.
00:56I remember the first month of school, I had zero English, I didn't know anything.
01:00Mohamed Alamari remembers walking for three days straight with his family to leave Syria.
01:05When we had the opportunity to come to Australia, they quickly accepted it because they knew it was the right thing to do,
01:11because it would give us the right education.
01:13As exams get underway this week, students say they're feeling the nerves but excited to explore new opportunities next year.
01:21All three Salisbury High School students have their sights set on going to university next year to pursue careers in medicine and healthcare.
01:30That's what makes them motivated and work so hard is their families are sacrificed a lot to get to Australia.
01:36And they've done that for a better life for their children.
01:39It was amazing meeting my community again.
01:42I was able to connect with them and share anything that I'm worried about.
01:49They would be able to understand me better.
01:51Friendships they hope will remain for life.
01:54Rachel Merritt, ABC News.
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