St Hugh’s recently welcomed 45 school pupils aged between 14 and 17 years old from the Kent area, as part of its outreach work with the Kingsgen Foundation which aims to support parents and children from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping to empower future leaders and inspire students to aim high.
One such student is Molayo Ogunde (Human Sciences, 2020) who was a pupil at St Olave’s Grammar School in Orpington during which time he attended a Kingsgen trip to Oxford. The CEO of Kingsgen, The Reverend Nunayon reached out to Molayo last summer to ask if St Hugh’s would co-host a trip to Oxford over half term. Molayo has written about the Kingsgen visit below. St Hugh’s was delighted to establish this new link, which is a fantastic addition to the work we do with state schools in Kent and beyond.
“The day started with an introduction to St Hugh’s College and Oxford University, delivered by the Outreach and Partnerships Manager, Lena Sorochina. This helped students to better understand what it means to study at Oxford and to gain insights into the application process, while also finding out about different choices and options available while planning their futures. This was followed by several student testimonials in which current Oxford undergraduates spoke about the difficulties and challenges they faced both while they were growing up and when putting together their university applications. They recalled experiences such as living in a bed and breakfast with their family as refugees and overcoming cultural biases against certain fields of study.
“Following this, students from the Oxford African and Caribbean Society hosted academic taster sessions for the pupils which included discussions around the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Here, students were able to ask questions they had about studying particular subjects in order to better inform themselves about post-16 qualifications and subject choices. This was also an opportunity to receive some tips on how best to organise their studies in sixth form.
“After all this hard work, everyone took a well-deserved break for lunch hosted by the College, which was followed by tours around St Hugh’s and Oxford given by undergraduates. As part of these, pupils and coordinators enjoyed the beautiful gardens at St Hugh’s, and discovered the historic heart of Oxford, including landmarks like the Radcliffe Camera, and various other colleges.
“The day wrapped up with a short speech from Reverend Nunayon, Chief Executive of Kingsgen Foundation, who thanked the undergraduates and staff for their hospitality and insights, presenting helpers with ‘thank you’ gifts. We were so delighted to welcome the Kingsgen Foundation, and we thank them for bringing lots of enthusiasm with them to St Hugh’s.
“I had a fantastic time helping out. It was lovely to get to know some of the Kingsgen pupils, and being able to talk about my journey; coming from a similar place to them and ending up at Oxford. It was wonderful to hear about their big aspirations, and I am excited to see what they get up to in the future!”
Below are some photographs of the visit. Left to right:
