Sharmarke is currently a refugee scholar at Somerville College – studying Masters of Public Policy at Blavatnik School of Government at University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and he has also completed a Public Relations Diploma at University of Victoria, Canada. He is a refugee advocate and a former City of Victoria Councilor therefore this is an ideal moment for him to seek to be part of academic and advocacy space for forced migration and displacement and also be part of a team that is doing great work in refugee protection advocacy.