“There is a video some of you may have seen on the IntoUniversity website, outlining my journey with the charity, which started 15 years ago. The voice recording for that video was taken days after my grandmother and main caregiver had passed away. I could tell you about the A grades, the Russell Group universities and the promising career in education I have embarked on in recent months, but that would only scratch the surface of what an IntoUniversity centre did for me.
Many of us start by attending a homework club, but that quietly turns into something more, which is difficult to convey in words or statistics. The centres themselves become relationships, memories, dreams and aspirations – intangible things. Every IntoUniversity centre becomes a part of a community – a constant. So when I, at 18 years old, just about to sit my A-level exams and felt like my whole world was caving in, it was the centre in Lambeth that I retreated to. I threw myself into a space that I knew, that was safe and that was predictable. I could be the Harlem that held very strong political views that she wasn’t afraid of sharing, loved to read and hated quadratic equations. It offered me the space to focus on the not so big things and an hour or two that didn’t feel quite so heavy.
The IntoUniversity centres can mean so much to so many and are spaces that meet with people at points of celebration and in more challenging times, but no matter what you are always met with a kind smile and the opportunity for a chat. I recall sitting with Laura Morley (then Centre leader) opening my SATs results, speaking to IntoUniversity staff as soon as I got my A-Level results and meeting with my mentor after my first year at Durham feeling out of my depth and drowning in old Norse. Most importantly though, I remember standing
in front of my headteacher and other very important looking people, ten years ago giving a speech at the IntoUniversity ten year anniversary celebration, not knowing the success the next 10 years would bring.
It’s this steadfast commitment to the long term and the cultivation of relationships that allows me to write so passionately and be as involved as I was 10 years ago, despite ageing out of Academic support, Primary, and Secondary FOCUS. Hopefully, this is not just a reflection of my inability to leave the charity alone but an example of how IntoUniversity remains consistent and effective in its long-term support, as they remain my biggest cheerleaders in all my big and small moments. All our lives are made up of big and small moments that culminate to make up our experiences and essentially who we are. The moments I have mentioned seemed insignificant at the time but upon reflection have been themost poignant. IntoUniversity isn’t just about getting into University but about beating the odds and managing the unpredictable and often unequal circumstances so many of us find ourselves in. The centres exist for moments, when you find a spelling, equation or topic hard or when you’ve had a long day and the last thing you want to do is practise the thing you’re not so good at and the moments of accepting offers or staying away from home for the first time.”
For more reflections on the past 20 years at IntoUniversity, read our report here.
