The story of Strive grows year on year. Find out what our former Strivers learnt and want to share with you…
On this page you will find inspirational stories to enjoy, learning from and reflect on.
Aspire Digital Story – the predecessor of STRIVE
The ASPIRE programme was developed by Dr Iwi Ugiagbe-Green. STRIVE was developed from ASPIRE. Watch this digital story of our first cohort of students on ASPIRE (the original version of STRIVE) in 2022 for inspiration and to learn more about what the STRIVE programme will do for you!
Let’s talk about being Black in the Academy– Iwi Ugiagbe-Green x TEDxKeeleUniversity
In 2020, Iwi delivered a TEDx on ‘Being Black in the Academy.’
The Academy is a word we use to describe the higher education system. Here is Iwi is talking about what it is like being Black in the academy.
Telling Stories Online session -With Yahya Sayed
I am a passionate Human Geography graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University, where I achieved a 1st Class Honours. My studies have deepened my understanding of the intricate connections between people, places, and the societal issues that shape our world.
During my academic journey, I gained valuable hands-on experience as a Social Researcher at the Department of Health and Social Care. In this role, I conducted in-depth research, gathered vital data, and contributed to impactful reports that have influenced policy-making.
I conducted research for my dissertation titled ‘Navigating Complexity: An Exploration into BAME Students Studying Geography.’ It delves into the challenges and successes faced by BAME students in the field of geography. My aim is to inspire students from BAME backgrounds to pursue research and navigate the complexities of university with confidence.
Tilly’s Top Things to do in Manchester
Settling in to life in any new place takes time and can feel overwhelming. Tilly wants to help STRIVERS along the way. Here are her top tips of settling in to Manchester.
Sampada’s Day in the Life
Sampada shares what a typical day as an International Student at Manchester Met feels like.
“A Conversation Between White Allies’ by Dr Eileen Pollard and Dr Jenny Reeve.
All our staff care about your success, but recognise that it can sometimes be difficult to know how to support you, as they do not have lived experience i.e. have not walked through life in your shoes. But they do all care and want to help you in achieving success!
Listen to two colleagues discuss the need to be allies and engage in actions to improve opportunities and experiences of “BAME” colleagues and students, in “A Conversation Between White Allies’ by Dr Eileen Pollard and Dr Jenny Reeve.
A ture Role Model: Overcoming Adversity to Charity CEO – Ansa Ahmed
Ansa is friend to STRIVE and has overcome many obstacles and barriers in her life. As a result of many personal losses she set up a charity who provide talking therapies and support to people who need it.
Read about Ansa’s life story in the slides below and how she has overcome adversity to achieve her success as a CEO of a charity that supports people in the community. She offers some excellent advice to you all starting out on your STRIVE journey!
STRIVE event- Ansa AhmedDownload
Key takeaways:
- Keep going – be resilient – you will face setbacks, but don’t give up
- Its good to talk
- Know what your triggers are
- Prioritise self care
- Get connected to the right people!
Enoch Showumni
Enoch is a former professional footballer who played for who played for a number of clubs including Luton Town Football Club, Bristol City Football Club, Leeds United Football Club and Tranmere Rovers FC. Enoch’s story is particularly inspiring given he didn’t sign his first professional contract until the age of 21 but would still go on to have a remarkable career that included 2 appearances for Nigeria. It’s a lesson that can applied beyond the realms of football – if you are patient and willing to work hard to achieve your personal and professional career goals, anything is possible.
He is founder of Global Soccer Pathways. Enoch and I first met when I had taught him Management accounting whilst he was studying MSc Finance at Leeds Business School, UK in 2013. Enoch is a former professional footballer who played for who played for a number of clubs including Luton Town Football Club, Bristol City Football Club, Leeds United Football Club and Tranmere Rovers FC. Enoch’s story is particularly inspiring given he didn’t sign his first professional contract until the age of 21 but would still go on to have a remarkable career that included 2 appearances for Nigeria. It’s a lesson that can applied beyond the realms of football – if you are patient and willing to work hard to achieve your personal and professional career goals, anything is possible.
These days Enoch is living in Florida, USA running Global Sports Pathways, a resource for soccer players where you are able to find a guide to help navigate the soccer industry.
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai is an inspiration. Sadly now deceased, she was an inspirational activist and Noble peace Prize Winner from Kenya who saw the links between planting trees, empowering women and supporting local communities. Here are the highlights of her inspirational story.
Anti-racism resources
You might be interested in knowing about the experiences of others or in what people are writing about your experiences as ‘BAME’ students in higher education and society
Reading these articles will give you some advantage over your peers, in helping you to better understand the world and your place in it as a ‘BAME’ student.
Beyond that, these are genuinely interesting resources, that we might talk about, in the talk about race forums as well!
Please take some time, even if it’s just 10 minutes to have a read!
Access Michael Cole’s Anti-racism resources (Special thanks to friend of STRIVE, Michael Cole who is a National Teaching Fellow at Imperial College, London and has kindly given us access to these materials)
Akala is author of Natives – Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire. It is an incredible book (Iwi is currently reading it) – Watch his discussion of the themes in the book here.
My Chocolate Brunch – Lucy Ndlovu What we know as STRIVE at Manchester Met today, grew out of another programme called ASPIRE. A previous cohort of students on the ASPIRE programme, were asked to produce a poem describing their experience on the programme. Lucy Ndlovu’s poem was selected as “joint-favourite” poem by the patrons of ASPIRE, Alison Lowe (OBE) and Professor Charles Egbu (Vice- Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University)
In October 2022, Lucy’s poem ‘My chocolate brunch’ was independently selected by students at The Manchester Metropolitan University to be read and discussed at a celebratory event co-organised by Department of Art and Performance EDI and Race Equality Activities Group (REAP), as part of our Black History month celebrations.
Black History Month | Manchester Metropolitan University
STRIVE Role Model – Asma Iqbal
Asma Iqbal is a partner and head of the Corporate Recovery and Insolvency Department at Chadwick Lawrence LLP. This area of practice includes advising business, directors and insolvency practitioners in corporate pre-insolvency and insolvency situations. During 2020-2021, Asma represented Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq in his claim of institutional racism against Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) and supported by Chadwick Lawrence’s employment team, securing a settlement in his subsequent employment tribunal. She has now taken on a proactive role to tackle racism and promote inclusion, diversity and equality, working with institutions to audit their practices, procedures and behaviours to help them implement meaningful and lasting change.
Asma Iqbal – The Lawyer | Legal insight, benchmarking data and jobs
She is a STRIVE role model, undertaking work that has a positive impact on society.
Hannah Adeniyi- Zaccheus
Hannah grew up in London and attended Dartford Grammar School, where she studied an International Baccalaureate, before gaining a place on BSc. Accounting and Finance programme at University of Leeds.
Listen to our #chatBlack podcast, where I talk to Hannah about her racialised experiences during University and the joy that she found from the support she received from others and sense of belonging she went on to experience in inclusive spaces.
Hannah was by her own admission “failing” when she and a group of other Black women came together to see me, and subsequently formed a peer support network. I was their Head of Year and brought in two Black women mentors from KPMG – who supported them during their studies.
Hannah went on to achieve a first class degree and secure a graduate job with PwC – she is a success story. She is not exceptional; she is just like me and you. However, her drive and determination to write her own story and achieve her goals gave her the motivation to carry on when things got tough, and she got through and developed the skills to thrive.
Listen to #ChatBlack podcast with Hannah Adeniyi -Zaccheus.
Be part of something bigger
I hope as a STRIVER you feel part of a community.
On STRIVE we believe in the power of community and coming together as humans being. We believe it is our differences and diversity that give us something special to contribute to the world of work and society at large.
Watch: Aiming Higher: Race Equality in Higher Education (2015) – Full Film
Learn more about how this impacts on getting into higher education.
Wealth, education, connections, and background still play an important role in our progress – and this can be a daunting prospect for those from underrepresented backgrounds attempting to navigate a career in the competitive corporate space.
On STRIVE we talk about the myth of meritocracy i.e. that its working really hard that always leads to success – We are a positive community of support and although only working hard to pass your assessments will not lead to your success, we create opportunities to empower you to know you can overcome some of the social barriers that exist for you.
Watch: The Pencil’s Tale
Watch the pencil’s tale – a short story that gets you thinking about how you can be the best version of yourself.
Nazneen Ismail- Role models
Telling stories is a regular feature of STRIVE programme in which you get the opportunity to hear the inspiring story of success from a relatable role model.
This week we are joined by amazing STRIVE role model, Dr Nazneen Ismail. She is a STRIVE role model, undertaking work that has a positive impact on society.
I am a lecturer in Quantitative Sociology. My experiences include teaching quantitative data analysis methods for over 7 years at all levels, as well as developing a reflexive quantitative methodology which is being embedded into teaching practise. I am part of the Manchester Met Q-Step centre, a team that continues to build on pedagogical innovation. I am also a part of the DEG leadership group for the department of Sociology, as well as the EDI Lead, which involves working on various projects that are connected to the overlapping issues of institutional habitus, challenging the award – experience gap, and improving student experience.
Hear about Nazneen’s journey into academia as a Muslim woman and the strategies that she employs to ensure she thrives in her role. Hear about her amazing quantitative PhD that investigated the differential award gap in HE, experienced by students from racially minoritized backgrounds which provided evidence of student’s sense of belonging/community, confidence, and participation in extracurricular activities, i.e., student-tutor relationships as well as other pedagogical innovative practise having a positive impact on final award classification.
Talk about race forum: Faith, mental health and well-being
Mubina Musa is a Senior Lecturer in Financial Accounting and Management Accounting.
Mubina is also facilitating a talk about race forum (Yahya Goga is doing the other two in Semester 1)
Our talk about race forums generally two or three times per semester. They are safe spaces for dialogue between STRIVERS to reflect on racialised experiences during the course and share experiences and learning with your peers.
Talk about race forum are online so that people can join & leave forums as they wish. Participants will not be forced to turn on their video or audio if they do not wish to, although we very much encourage you to if you can and feel safe in doing so.
The purpose of the Talk about Race forums is to share lived experience, provide some support for each other and for those with responsibilities for your learning and development to better understand your racialised experiences and their impact on you. Talk about Race forums will be mediated by STRIVE staff and associates who have experience of mediating these spaces and understanding of lived experience. We offer these safe spaces of reflection & dialogue to STRIVERS who may feel that they need some emotional support following the forums.
Watch: Afromindz
This short Afromindz video looks at the intersection of faith and mental health
Getting in and getting on
Dr Anton Lewis talks about the setbacks he has encountered and how he has overcome them to enjoy the career he now has.
Dr Lewis’ influential paper, Counting black and white beans (2020), shone a light on the institutional racism that is prevalent in the accounting industry shone a light on the institutional racism that is prevalent in the accounting industry. However, as you have learned, whilst we acknowledge its existence, there are ways to navigate it and prioritise keeping yourself well as you do so.
Anton and I were in conversation for #ChatBlack to discuss racialised experiences, overcoming adversity, working in another country and so much more..
Listen to #ChatBlack podcast with Dr Anton Lewis (Associate Professor of Accounting), based in Chicago, USA, reflect on his journey from unsuccessful sixth former in Yorkshire to Associate Professor in Accounting in Chicago, Illinois in the US.
Transition – challenges of being perceived as, “not being good enough”
Laila Fletcher offers some insights into her experiences of racism at school and how this impacted on her experience of University. Laila is former Equality & Liberation officer at the Students’ Union at University of Leeds. Laila shares with us, her bumpy journey to Leeds. She is open about the struggles of the barriers she faced and her feelings of imposter syndrome, but how she overcame them to achieve her goals. She was hugely active in moving forward student led agendas in her University. This may offer some inspiration for you to get more involved in your communities and societies within university.
She is now working for Leeds Women Aid Charity.
STRIVERs please listen to the #chatBlack podcast with Laila Fletcher
Role Models – Adwoa Amankona
You have read her dissertation – now you get to meet her!
Adwoa Amankona (she/her) is an intersectional Geographer, specialising in Black British Cultural & Identity Geographies and Political Ecology. Adwoa recently completed her MSc course at the University of Oxford, studying Nature, Society and Environmental Governance, with her dissertation focussing on the Underwater Logging Industry in Lake Volta, Ghana. At the University of Oxford, Adwoa was the School of Geography and the Environment’s First Black Heritage Scholar, additionally funded by the Reuben Foundation and Academic Futures Scholarship. She is also a First-Class UCL BA Geographer Class of 2021, partaking in an integrated Year Abroad at the University of Sydney as part of her degree. Adwoa’s Bachelor’s dissertation was based on Black Student Space-Making Practices in Golden Triangle Universities and Black Excellence, winning the 2021 Royal Geographical Society: Race, Culture and Equality Working Group Dissertation Prize. Adwoa has had placements with Delta-Simons, Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, EY and CACI, but is currently working as a Junior Researcher with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.
Role models – Khurram Hussain
Khurram has a track record of working with a range of organisations, including large-scale and listed companies through to high growth, disruptive and founder-led entrepreneurial businesses. With a focus on main board (Chair and NED) and executive (CEO, CFO, CTO/CIO) appointments, Khurram’s clients span the private equity/venture capital, technology, media, property and healthcare sectors with a particular strength in supporting scale-up ventures or businesses undergoing transformational change. The breadth of his client base connects him to a diverse and varied network of talent, from which Khurram is skilled at identifying and engaging highly trained executives with the ability to transform businesses in the UK and internationally.
A dedicated champion for diversity, Khurram has been closely involved with the launch and development of the Warren Partners Board Fellowship Programme which has focused on improving the diversity of FTSE 250 Boards. He has been involved with the North West Business Leadership Team Diversity Drivers group, a group championing ethnic diversity in the North West of England, since its formation in February 2021 and was appointed Deputy Chair in January 2023. In addition, Khurram is Co-Vice Chair (he was recently interim Chair) of an Ofsted outstanding rated and highly diverse special needs school with c.200 students and c.130 staff, and Vice Chair and founding member of a charity based in West Yorkshire.
Prior to joining Warren Partners, Khurram was an associate with global search firm Whitehead Mann (Now part of KornFerry). Hios particular focus was director-level appointments in the global engineering, retail, manufacturing, and energy sectors. He started his career in the technology consulting sector with IBM Integrated Technology Services in the Global Services division. His earlier career was in Law and Khurram has a Law degree from the University of Huddersfield.
Outside of work, Khuraam is keen cyclist and runner (despite living in Yorkshire and surrounded by hills)
Role Models- Maisha Islam
Maisha Islam is the Doctoral College Research Culture Lead (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) at the University of Southampton, and is also studying for a professional doctorate in Education. Maisha’s main research interests lie in the area of Black, Asian and minority ethnic student experience, and Muslim student sense of belonging/student voice in Higher Education, where she presents, writes and has published on these topics. Maisha is heavily invested in the area of race and religious equality in Higher Education. For example, Maisha has investigated ‘Asian’ student experience in relation to degree-awarding gaps and has sat on a Universities UK staff panels which developed guidance for universities tackling racial harassment and Islamophobia on campus. Additionally, Maisha has completed a two-year term serving on the Office for Students’ Student Panel (2020-22) and is co-Chair of a Steering Group for a Research England/Office for Students funded programme seeking to improve access and participation of students in colour in postgraduate research study.
Role models – Reem Elkosseer
My name is Reem ElKosseer and I graduated with a first class business & marketing student from the University of Leeds. I am a migrant from Egypt and am passionate about supporting migrants and ethnically marginalised groups at navigating experiences I, and others around me, have experienced ourselves . I started off my career as an adult through research and working with Dr. Iwi to support ethnically marginalised students, and at the same time I joined a mental health organisation where I was trained to support adults in crisis. Through this, I took upon the role of the organisation’s recruitment officer and that helped me attain my role in Volkswagen Group UK, an internationally-renowned car company. I was able to then work with an organisation in Lisbon, Portugal, helping a homeless shelter dedicated to addiction. Through my research and time in Lisbon, I was able to decide what I wanted to pursue in life, but also have an advantage to pursue this.
Tellin Stories with Jessica Asamoa
Tellin Stories with Elle-Sue Calderbank
I am Elle-Sue Calderbank. I graduated with a first class Law degree last year and am now doing my Masters. In addition to my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the field of journalism, working as a journalist researcher and assistant producer for the BBC and Sky Sports News. As a dedicated MMU ambassador for the Black Solicitors Network, I am passionate about fostering diversity within the legal profession. Beyond my academic and professional commitments, I am deeply involved in activism and campaigning, a journey that began at the age of 15. Notably, I have been recognized among the top 50 young women leading the world by the Women Empowering Nations organization. With a diverse range of experiences spanning various industries, I am eager to share my insights with fellow students pursuing different degrees, aiming to contribute my perspectives to different career pathways.
Elle-Sue presented to our STRIVERS on STRIVE 100 and has some advice for you all here:
Growth Mindset
To overcome adversity, thrive and not become a statistic of under-achievement within a system that systematically and disproportionately negatively impacts on racially minoritised people – strategies of anchored in positivity, resilience are needed. A growth mindset is needed – on STRIVE we recognise the systemic barriers that can exist, but show you that your goals are possible – it is possible to do better and be better. On STRIVE we support you to work on your strengths and capabilities and surface your values and purpose.
Purpose is the epicentre of everyone’s life story. It’s the thing in your life you will fight for, the ground you will defend at any cost. Deep enduring purpose is virtually always motivated by a desire for the well-being of others.
Purpose is what successful leaders use as a catalyst to navigate the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, world we face today. It answers your big ‘Why?’ question, giving your life and work meaning, anchoring what you do, and setting your true north.
Carol Dweck is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology. A leading expert in the field of motivation, her research has demonstrated the role of mindsets in students’ achievement and has shown how praise for intelligence can undermine motivation and learning.
When you apply for jobs you will get LOADS of rejections. Focus on being positive, on learning from the process and improving your odds next time. Be authentic to yourself and what you want to do. Your hopes and ambitions should be on your terms. Be confident in who you are and what you bring – but understand that as important as hard work is in getting you there – there are factors that you can work to mitigate, but are systemic and not down to you as an individual that you cannot control. A growth mindset is what you need to keep winning!
A story of achievement
When STEM and philanthropy come together!
An amazing charity seeking to create equality of opportunity, as a result of the ‘myth of meritocracy’ is the The Armitage Foundation
The Armitage Foundation offers an opportunity to those who have the aptitude and desire to study medicine, but who don’t come from traditionally the “right” background to participate in their programmes.
Leanne accepted an invitation to have a conversation as part of #chatBlack podcast series. So STRIVERS, you have the opportunity to hear from another amazing role model, Dr Leanne Armitage. Leanne is the co-founder of the charity, ‘The Armitage Foundation’ – bringing STEM and philanthropy together – the core mission of The Armitage Foundation is to open up access & opportunity to Black heritage people into medicine.
Leanne grew up in a single parent family on a council estate in London. She worked hard to fulfil her dream of being a doctor and despite some major setbacks, achieved her dream.
On this #chatBlack podcast with Dr Leanne Armitage, we talk about identity, values, faith and purpose.