Fairfield, Australia -- Maryam?Al-Wakeel was forced to flee her Iraqi home town of Bartella, near Mosul, when Islamic State forces seized control of the region over two years ago. Now safe in Australia and a student of St Narsai Assyrian Christian College in Edensor Park, Ms Al-Wakeel has claimed a remarkable achievement in the field of science with a win in a statewide poster competition run by the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. The 19-year-old Wakeley resident said she was thrilled to win the competition in light of her treacherous journey. Ms Al-Wakeel and her family were forced to uproot their lives when her town was in the warpath of Islamic State. "People told us if you don't leave your town, you're going to be killed," she said. "It was really scary. People were running and no one took anything from their house in my town." She said her relatives managed to escape just two or three hours before ISIS stormed Bartella. The town has become a conflict hotspot again this week following an operation to regain and liberate the region. "Now the army is in there -- in my town," Ms Al-Wakeel said, "They're trying hard to take Mosul back." After fleeing Bartella, Ms Al-Wakeel and her family travelled to Kurdistan in northern Iraq en route to Turkey. They were eventually granted visas and residency in Australia through the UN. "Because there were a lot of people we had to wait for two years until we left Turkey," she said. Ms Al-Wakeel said she was incredibly happy to call Sydney home and attend school without fear. "Thank God," she said. Ms Al-Wakeel's chemistry teacher Brian Parker said his student had excelled since starting at St Narsai in March with limited English. "In Turkey, Maryam was not able to attend school, so she missed two years of schooling," he said. "She absolutely loves learning and is really grateful to get back on track with her education and be in a safe place. "She's like the mother of the school -- she has a concern for everybody." Last week, Ms Al-Wakeel reaped the reward of her poster competition win when she joined three classmates from St Narsai -- Marel Oraha, Diana Odisho and Amalia Sellanes -- for four days of work experience at the Ingham Institute. During the placement, the students observed work in the dry labs and learnt about cancer treatment. Capping off the week, Ms Al-Wakeel and Ms Sellanes gave a speech to a room of 400 scientists from the field of medical research. "Maryam did it brilliantly and spoke with such confidence," Mr Parker said, "We could see people were very impacted by her story." Ms Al-Wakeel stressed that her success was made possible by her support network in Australia. "I really want to thank my family, my friends, my teachers -- especially my science teachers -- and my school," she said. "Without them, I wouldn't be able to achieve that." THE PROGRAM The Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research hosted a Pathways to Success Science Poster Competition Entrees were eligible to apply for work experience with the Ingham Institute Students Maryam Al Wakeel and Amalia Sellanes gave presentations to 400 scientists at an Ingham Institute showcase.