A new national campaign, led by Universities UK (UUK), celebrates the extraordinary success of students from Queen Mary University of London who were the first in their families to attend university.
These findings come from extensive new research, commissioned by Universities UK, into the experiences of 6,004 UK graduates and 4,006 non-graduates, aged 24-40, from across the UK.
Jodi Taylor-Nettleton, a third-year psychology student, and Jordan Marajh, a PhD student in the School of Mathematical Sciences have been highlighted in the campaign. Jodi is featured in the influential voices category, which highlights universities across the UK that have helped to develop first generation students into leaders in politics, law and advocacy, ensuring that there is fair representation and varied voices in some of the most influential parts of society. Queen Mary alumnus Lord Simon Woolley, who completed a master's degree at Queen Mary, has also been included.
Jordan says that his mother initially suggested he apply. "She did not get the chance to [go] before she had me, and wanted to make sure I considered it as an option." Despite having to work several jobs during his A levels, Jordan enrolled at Queen Mary, graduating in 2022 with a first-class Mathematics MSci (Hons) integrated master's degree. He is now completing his PhD in Mathematical Relativity. He has this advice for other FitF students who are thinking of applying to university: "I won't play down the struggles that you may face/ have already faced. However, I will say that no matter how many times things seem daunting or hopeless, you can get through it and reach higher than you did before. The path ahead might not be linear, or may take more time to reach, but I urge you to recall the words on Sir Francis Drake's coat of arms, 'Sic parvis magna,' which loosely translates to 'greatness from humble beginnings'."
At Queen Mary, we aim to be the most inclusive university of its kind, anywhere. The profile of our domestic undergraduate students in London is distinctive for a Russell Group university and any research-leading university across the world:
In 2022, we won the University of the Year award at the sixth annual UK Social Mobility Awards.
Support for students at Queen Mary
Queen Mary is committed to supporting our students to be able to make the most of the opportunities higher education provides. We offer:
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