If you were coming here now again
as a fresher with your experience
what piece of advice would
you like to have been told?
I think I would have liked to know a bit
more about all of the different kind of schemes
and financial opportunities and things
that the University can support with
like helping for travel costs
for study, things like that and
just all of the little secret nooks and crannies
of kind of financial and social support
that the University can offer
such as the Enhanced Bursary
which is available for care
leavers and estranged students
which has really helped me over the
year to kind of pay for rent and things
and equally the 365 Accommodation.
Yeah definitely, I literally would
not have been able to study here
if I hadn't got on that bursary
I mean obviously, I think it's
quite easy to forget that like
for care leavers and estranged students
you do have to pay for living
costs outside of term time
that's not something that goes away
so the Enhanced Bursaries kind of negate that
so I just would not have been able to.
It's great that we have
these spaces to go to
so that for certain people
who can't return home or
don't have a place to go back to, they
can stay somewhere and they're safe
they still have the support and things
so like this is a great thing
I profit from this,
in the vacation periods for example.
Did you find it tricky to access
the economic support available?
For me, it was really a
simple and easy process
and it was all done through
UCAS and things like this
which can be really helpful
and supportive too
so making that known to my college and
my support staff was really helpful
and they helped me a lot to find
out what I could access.
Was it a similar experience for you?
Not really, I think because...
my experience of care
began a little bit after I turned 16
I know that that means that I'm not
defined as a statutory care leaver
so I am care experienced and I am
estranged but not a statutory care leaver
which meant that when it came
to applying for Student Finance
I had to go through a process of
verification to get independent status
which then could mean that
I could get the Enhanced Bursary
it meant that I had to get a
professional to vouch for me
and say like
"yes, she is definitely estranged"
and the only professional in my
vicinity was like a teacher at my school
who didn't know an awful lot
about my circumstances
so that did mean that I had
to do some disclosing
and yeah, I guess go through the
process of verification
which was tricky but obviously
it was completely necessary.
And eventually it worked out and it
supported you, so like we were saying earlier
it's just so important to try and be
as open as you can where you can
and feel comfortable too.
I think I would have liked to
have been told like more about
access and outreach from earlier on
So, obviously I really enjoyed
my involvement in the Realise Project
and showing young people from
like care and estranged backgrounds
what Cambridge is like but I didn't get
involved in that until like a bit later on
because I was quite nervous about
being open about my background
I just wish that
I'd got involved sooner
to like change young people's
minds and to get them to think
that they are worthy of applying
to places like Cambridge
and that they could
succeed if they did apply
to change those young people's
minds you really do have to target
the representation that
you provide on those schemes
so like having mentors like you,
me, the other students
that worked on these schemes
from care and estranged backgrounds
being able to say
"I know, I literally know what it's like"
and "I'm here, and I've been able
to do it, like you can do it too".
It makes it easier to know that there
are other people in these situations
so it's not a singular experience
and we are a community
and maybe there's not that many of us
but I think having open voices about this
just makes the thing a lot easier just
knowing that there is a space for you
you merit it and it can
work out essentially.
I think the point about you merit
it is something really important as well
we deserve to be here just
as much as like the next person
and it's like reminding yourself of that
and when you do occupy these spaces
with other people from similar backgrounds
and you feel a part of the community
you find yourself like
reminding other people of that
and in doing so it reminds you that
you're meant to be here as well I think.
I think as well, the thing has become a
lot bigger kind of like this year for example
I mean in my first year, I managed to find
this community and this group of people
that existed in my first year
which is a great kind of experience
and I hope that it can be
like that for other people
as well as financial help, there's a
lot of kind of initiatives and stuff
to make the experience more
comfortable and nurturing.
Like the Stand Alone Pledge for example,
I think that's like a really positive step
it encourages universities to have a look
at what they're doing every year or so
and think how can we continue improving
the support and how can we move forward
and how can we speak to students
that are from these backgrounds
and listen to their needs because that's something
that I've really been trying to push for.
