A story of hard work and determination, read about how Abs, a Mathematics student in their final year at Kent, was awarded one of the most competitive scholarships in the UK.
The Martingale Foundation funds and supports a new generation of postgraduates to become STEM leaders. Their scholarship is highly competitive, awarding 32 people a year with full-tuition and a sizeable amount of funding for living costs and research-related expenses. The foundation is built on the belief that family income should not be a barrier to the pursuit of excellence.
It is no wonder that an exemplary student like Abs was awarded the scholarship and will begin his studies at Imperial College in September studying a postgraduate degree in Pure Mathematics.
Abs has made the most of at his time at Kent, using various resources to enhance his skillset and confidence. His first year was wholly devolved to his studies, in which he achieved a Distinction. This academic success gave him the confidence to apply for work; he has proactively taken on multiple roles at The University of Kent, including Events Assistant for the Careers and Employability Service through the EMPOWER Scheme, Student EDI Rep for SMSAS, and Student Ambassador, where he supports the Outreach team by working at open events, meeting prospective students and giving tours of campus.
Reflecting on his initial Student Ambassador application, Abs said:
“They asked what I knew about outreach and widening participation and why they are important. I wrote about my background as a care leaver and how outreach opportunities opened my eyes to university and how my experience would add value to the ambassador cohort. I was contacted by a member of staff. They asked if I would be interested in being more involved in creating outreach programmes specifically for care leavers. Together, with other care leavers, we created a whole new programme, and I am currently one of the Lead Ambassadors. We run training sessions for foster carers on how they can support their young people into universities and how aftercare teams should support us while we are at university so we can graduate with a good degree and have a more enjoyable time.”
Shauna-Aine O’Brien, Abs’ manager in the Outreach team, reflects on his contributions:
“I remember meeting Abs in the ambassador recruitment and selection event. His passion and interest in Maths stood out to me, and I looked forward to working with him on events. We started working together on events for care-experienced students. Abs’ contributions cannot be underestimated; contributing to an outreach offer with lived experience at the core of all our development and delivery decisions. Abs has worked on programmes for children in care, care leavers, professionals, and carers. At every point, participants have commented on Abs’ professionalism, his engagement with learners, and the impact of his insights.
Abs is very considerate, and always looks at things from a student point of view. I will never forget Abs’ journey to University of Kent, and how he has overcome barrier after barrier. He is an extraordinary student, ambassador, and human. My proudest moments were seeing Abs present at the Universities at Medway Teaching and Learning Conference 2023. He was so nervous when we practiced but was just incredible when we were presenting to our audience. I love seeing Abs light up when sharing his passion for maths with young people. Like many, maths was not my favourite subject at school, and I wished Abs had have been there to encourage me. He will go on to do incredible things and I look forward to seeing him inspiring generations of mathematicians to come.”
Abs remains keen to use his experience as a care leaver to support others with the same experience
“In the beginning, I avoided telling people I am a care leaver, because I don’t want to be pigeonholed. I want them to see other parts of my identity first. Most people who know me and are reading this article will probably be surprised to learn that I am a care leaver. I still believe this is the correct approach after four years at university and having taken on countless roles. It is not untrue that no one, at least out loud, would make any negative remarks about my background, but it would be wrong to expect that people have an accurate understanding of what it means; it is safe to assume that their knowledge is limited to media coverage which often portrays care leavers as some sort of societal burden.
Doing well and staying motivated wasn’t easy. I spent three out of the last four Christmases on my own, but remembering why I came to university and thinking about the future lifted me whenever I felt alone and down. The fact that I had more unstable and scarier experiences growing up, especially the times I was suddenly asked to move foster placements, reminded me that my current situation is not so bad and will pass. Liking my subject helped me stay focused. As long as I have food, accommodation, and my grades are improving (or at least not getting worse), I know I’m on the right track. Of course, it goes without saying, getting enough sleep and looking after my mental and physical health is crucial.”
Abs remained proactive during his final year at Kent and decided to go for the Martingale Scholarship. Although he found the assessment process intense, he had a great mindset throughout and was pleased with the outcome was a positive one.
“I felt I did my best, but I also saw who I was against. I met other applicants, and I didn’t feel like I was going to get it because they were in the top percent in their schools and were discussing mathematics I had never heard of before. I said to myself, no loss, it was a good experience.
When I got the call, the caller asked me, “Is this a good time to talk?”; I was totally convinced this was bad news. Then, “We have made you an offer and you will receive the paperwork tomorrow.” I was over the moon. I can’t remember any time I have been that happy and ecstatic. I went straight to my project supervisor, Dr. Rowena Paget, who had helped me prepare for the interview and write references, to tell her. She was very happy for me and said, “We should tell everyone.” We were like two crazy people, knocking on lecturers’ office doors and telling them I had won the scholarship. If I am going to talk about all the excitement and feelings that ensued from the news, I would need to write a book!
Even after I was invited to attend an event in London for scholars, I was saying out loud maybe these people made a mistake, I didn’t feel I was as clever as everyone there. One thing I can take from the feeling of this doubt is the expression, ‘I am not in competition with anyone.’ In future applications, I know now that people who read my application are assessing me as an individual. I just need to put forward why I believe I deserve the role or anything I am applying for.”
Dr. Rowena Paget, Deputy Director of the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences comments,
“Abs is one of the most dedicated students I have met. He is passionate about mathematics and is always keen to learn more. This passion is apparent in his extensive widening participation work. His work as a tutor for Levelling up: maths for Black heritage students and his pioneering work to support care leavers into university has had an impact on many young people across the county. He is doing this work because he believes in the importance of mathematics and the importance of access to mathematics education for all. And he has done all this while working diligently towards his degree. His co-curricular experiences not only led to him growing personally and professionally, making him a desirable candidate for future opportunities, but he has created a great amount of change for care-experienced students.”
After achieving so much at Kent, Abs is ready to move onto new heights as a postgraduate student in his new course. His commitment to his co-curricular work, passion for creating positive change and academic studies has led to him developing an incredible skillset and mindset. He has demonstrated how hard work can truly pay off.
Abs is already thinking about his next career steps after achieving his Master’s degree.
“I will also get tailored support to apply for the PhD part of the Martingale Scholarship after I finish my MSc. I intend to apply for a PhD in Pure Mathematics, possibly in Representation Theory.”