Micro Focus Inspiring Stories

Inspiring volunteering stories: Meet Alex Deng

By giving back to society and volunteering to support causes that empower inclusiveness, Alex Deng, Deal Registration Operations Specialist, Micro Focus, has received plenty in return – from developing skills to help drive his career success, to finding a personal sense of purpose.

Based in Scotland, Alex moved to the UK in 2008 as a refugee from Kenya. In less than 10 years, he has achieved a MBA with distinction, a first-class undergraduate degree in Business Studies with Law, and a college diploma in Business. Since arriving in Scotland, Alex has been involved in many volunteering activities – supporting numerous causes including the Scottish Refugee Council, Volunteer Scotland, The Princes’ Trust, the Citizen Advice Bureau, Bridging the Gap, Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 and the Glasgow 2018 European Championships.

Alex says: “Volunteering provided me an opportunity to find a purpose here in the UK while also giving back to a community that had given me a safe place to call home. I was able to meet wonderful people and learn so much of the Scottish way of life while also sharing my own experiences and life aspirations. All the volunteering opportunities afforded me the chance to harness and develop new skills and help others in my situation.”

Micro Focus volunteering days

Using his Micro Focus INSPIRE volunteering days, Alex recently volunteered for the Scottish Refugee Council as a public speaker to support the charity’s funding programme. Over the years, Alex has volunteered as a speaker for charities to help promote positive attitudes towards refugees and help encourage inclusion.

“As a speaker, it provides a platform to share my life experiences whereby, although at times, provoking and uncomfortable, provides an opportunity to inspire and educate others about asylum seekers and refuges living here in the UK. Isolation and misconceptions predominate within our group in the communities we live in, and sharing my story helps empower both sides in understanding our journeys as well as having a voice.”

Inspiring volunteering stories: Meet Alex Deng