Students from underrepresented backgrounds at Oxford University got a chance to share their journey and challenges they’d faced with Prince Charles who visited this week, in an exploration Oxford’s legacy and future.
Baroness Amos, the first black head of an Oxford college, welcomed the Prince of Wales into her residence at University College on May 12 to have a discussion with students benefitting from the Amos Bursary, and Opportunities Oxford.
The bursary is to help talented young people of African and Caribbean heritage, Opportunities Oxford helps students from underrepresented backgrounds like state schools bridge the gap between 6th form and university.
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She said: “Oxford has changed over the years, we now have a number of programmes which are really helping people to diversify the university and make it much more inclusive.”
Kwabena Osei, 20, who is a recipient of the Amos Bursary and studying history and politics said on meeting Prince Charles: “I think it was very daunting. When I tell my mum she’s not going to believe me!
“We all went around introducing ourselves and our journey to Oxford. I told him about my journey and my own personal challenges to get here. He asked me some questions about my mum who is from Ghana. I think most of us thought the university was doing a great job already."
The 20-year-old from Enfield in North London shared that he hadn’t even thought of applying for Oxford or the bursary until he was persuaded by a family friend.
READ MORE: Prince Charles meets Oxford students from underrepresented backgrounds
He said: “I was very discouraged by my teachers in school, they weren’t the best at helping people reach their potential.
“The scheme is great because if you make it onto the program, you get a mentor that supports you. I was also helped by mentors from Insight Outreach who help with interviews and applications.
“As a Black student from a state school, minority background, you don’t really think you can get into places like Oxford and don’t have many opportunities. So it’s great and I hope that more people apply.”
Wayne Gourgoro, a second-year engineer at Oxford University, who is an Inspire Outreach mentor chatted about how the scheme helps bridge the gap between school and university.
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The 19-year-old from West Drayton in London got involved after benefitting from the scheme himself, saying: “I went to a state school and applying to Oxford wasn’t really in my mind. But I was inspired by someone I met and tried really hard for my A Levels and got in and there’s now overwhelming opportunities open to me.
“It sounds cliché but you just think, if they can do it why can’t I. It gives me faith that I can help others too.
“Every person should be able to reach their maximum potential or its just a waste”
Mr Gourgoro, whose mother came to the UK as an asylum seeker from the Ivory Coast, was encouraged by his Maths and Physics teacher at school who helped him realise his talents and shared them with his family.
On how the meeting went with Prince Charles he said: “He was surprisingly genuine, and he seemed like he was very interested in the discussion.
“I feel like there wasn’t enough time, so we couldn’t go very deeply into it. But I was grateful that he took 30 minutes out of his busy schedule.”
University of Oxford said it almost doubled the proportion of students from underrepresented backgrounds starting their studies, with 2021 seeing the university's most diverse ever intake ever.
Cambridge vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Toope announced this month that fewer students from private schools will be accepted into Oxbridge in the future, as they'll be competing with a larger pool of state school students.
These developments see an increasing shift towards a more level playing field, moving away from the 1000-year-old university's 2018 Sunday Times ranking as Britain's least socially inclusive university.
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This story was written by Shosha Adie.
She joined the team in 2022 as a digital reporter.
To get in touch with her email: Shosha.Adie@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter: @ShoshaAdie
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