Our mission
inState is a UK-wide, student-led network, aiming to broaden access for state-school educated university students pursuing corporate career paths.
At the core of our vision is the creation of a social network to empower students from under-represented backgrounds.
As a group of students who have experienced similar challenges throughout our academic journeys, we recognised the importance of sharing our knowledge and opportunities. Having previously engaged with other social mobility initiatives, we saw the value of an exclusively student-led social mobility organisation. inState therefore seeks to both widen and improve the representation of state school educated professionals in corporate careers, in the following pathways:
Each Pathway delivers a specialised programme of:
Our internal team consists of students from across UK universities who share a common commitment to diversifying and demystifying corporate pathways.
Our team
Trustee Board
Asher Mohammed
Chair
Hi, I am the founder and President of inState. I am going into my final year of Politics with International Relations at the University of York. I am proud to introduce to you, a social mobility organisation led by, and for, state-school educated university students to broaden access to corporate careers paths.
I was born and raised in Walthamstow, London and attended a state-school. As someone who didn’t have family members or family friends in professional careers, I spent the majority of the latter years of secondary school and then sixth form navigating through academic and career opportunities myself. I had the privilege of engaging with social mobility organisations and owe a great deal of my personal achievements to the mentorship and guidance that those organisations facilitated for me. My greatest resource has been the social network of peers across London and now the UK that I have created throughout the years from these organisations. The creation of a social network of state-school educated university students is at the core of our vision at inState.
inState is working to provide tailored mentorship and professional development programmes across 3 main Pathways; Commercial Law; Consulting; and Finance. I am proud of our diverse team of students from 14 universities across the UK who have been working non-stop over the summer in preparation for our launch. Please take a look at the rest of the team to find out more about individual team functions. I am looking forward to sharing our inState journey with you!
Verinda Kaur Sohal
Trustee
Hi, I am the Vice-President of inState and a founding member of the organisation. I am entering my second year studying Law at the University of York.
I grew up in Bedford as a state-school educated student. The biggest barrier I faced throughout my academic journey was a lack of understanding of the distinctions between different corporate careers, as well as pathways into them. Therefore, the most important aspect of inState for me, is paving a path to corporate careers for those with similar experiences to myself.
I have previously interacted with various social mobility organisations and have found that although the focus on social mobility is often clear, there tends to be a divide between the knowledge and experience of mentors and their prospective mentees. With a focus on peer-to-peer focus mentoring, inState brings state-school educated university students with similar experiences together to both build their professional network and share experiences with their peers.
As the Vice President of inState, my role is to oversee and organise the operational-focused departments of inState, including; the Commercial Law Pathway Team, the Consulting Pathway Team, the Finance Pathway Team and the University Liaison Coordinator Team. Working with these teams has already provided me with a rich and insightful experience at inState, and I look forward to what inState has to offer state-school educated university students in the future!
Zain Hussain
Trustee
Hi, I am an internal strategy advisor and a founding member of the organisation. I am entering my second year studying Law at the University of York.
I grew up in East London, and having attended a state-school, it was difficult to access information and opportunities for career development, and so social mobility organisations provided me with opportunities that gave me a sense of career direction, and skills that I would have otherwise not gained or developed, having been the first generation in my family to attend university.
Social mobility initiatives not only enabled me to access opportunities, but to thrive in them. From winning a full scholarship to study Law, and the post-graduate BPTC, to having the confidence to address government officials at the National Assembly Hall in Seoul, South Korea, I owe my personal achievements to each and every social mobility initiative that I had the chance to participate in and learn from, which drew me to co-founding inState.
The underlying impact that social mobility organisations have had is creating a network amongst ambitious youth from state-educated backgrounds with limited access to opportunities. InState brings this to the forefront of social mobility, with these accomplished, young individuals driving the change to break barriers that reduce access to corporate careers for students from state-school educated backgrounds.
As internal strategy advisor, I’m working closely with our Head of Marketing Technology to give feedback and advice on our website and systems development, strategising our long-term vision, and playing a key role in building our brand to ensure that each and every state-school student is aware of our organisation’s mission, and how they can get involved.
Natalie Jolly
Trustee
Hi, I am Lead Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator. In my role, I will be overseeing the peer-mentorship programme as well as working hard to compile lots of opportunities and resources for our users. My aim is to help level the playing field, especially in an industry as competitive as law, I wish to do this by helping to bridge the gap caused by lack of connections and opportunities and making law more accessible.
I grew up in Hong Kong and Macau, before moving to the UK and studying at a grammar school in Surrey. I recently graduated with a degree in Law with a Year abroad and I am about to start the Barrister Training Course at BPP in September.
Sami Berisha
Trustee
Hi, I am on the Internal Strategy Advisory Team and, here’s a curveball, I am going into my sophomore (second) year at an American university called Northwestern University. This is usually met with shock, as how does a state-school educated individual from North London study at a prestigious and private University in the US, and how do I afford it? The answers to these questions are social mobility organisations and a scholarship.
This forms the largest part of my impetus to join inState, as I owe much of my achievements to social mobility organisations and the mentorship and networking opportunities afforded by them. Volunteering with InState allows me to give back through helping others traverse barriers such as a lack of a foundational network which I, just like hundreds of other state-school students, had to build-up alone. inState therefore enables me in the process of aiding students to access the same opportunities I had; opportunities which might very well change the course of someone’s life as they have mine.
Natanim Fekadu-Dessie
Trustee
Hi, I am the Head of Strategy. I am from East London and a third year History and Politics student studying at Cambridge.
Attending a state-school and being the first in my household to go to University, I struggled with accessing key information and opportunities. As a result, I became a member of a number of access initiatives which helped me immensely, and through that, I was inspired to become heavily involved in delivering access initiatives to other students. I became an editor at InsideUni, started my own access initiative and took on the role of Access Officer at the Cambridge ACS for a year.
My role as Head of Strategy includes overseeing the foundational procedures for establishment, liaising with our Internal Strategy Advisory Team and External Strategy Team made up of recent graduates and young professionals, as well as helping guide the future of the organisation more broadly. I joined InState as it is a refreshing and new take on access, providing a completely student-driven service which is what I believe makes it so special. I am beyond excited to be leading a group of bright minds and to be a part of a wider inspiring team!
Executive
Asher Mohammed
President
Hi, I am the founder and President of inState. I am going into my final year of Politics with International Relations at the University of York. I am proud to introduce to you, a social mobility organisation led by, and for, state-school educated university students to broaden access to corporate careers paths.
I was born and raised in Walthamstow, London and attended a state-school. As someone who didn’t have family members or family friends in professional careers, I spent the majority of the latter years of secondary school and then sixth form navigating through academic and career opportunities myself. I had the privilege of engaging with social mobility organisations and owe a great deal of my personal achievements to the mentorship and guidance that those organisations facilitated for me. My greatest resource has been the social network of peers across London and now the UK that I have created throughout the years from these organisations. The creation of a social network of state-school educated university students is at the core of our vision at inState.
inState is working to provide tailored mentorship and professional development programmes across 3 main Pathways; Commercial Law; Consulting; and Finance. I am proud of our diverse team of students from 14 universities across the UK who have been working non-stop over the summer in preparation for our launch. Please take a look at the rest of the team to find out more about individual team functions. I am looking forward to sharing our inState journey with you!
Verinda Kaur Sohal
Secretary
Hi, I am the Vice-President of inState and a founding member of the organisation. I am entering my second year studying Law at the University of York.
I grew up in Bedford as a state-school educated student. The biggest barrier I faced throughout my academic journey was a lack of understanding of the distinctions between different corporate careers, as well as pathways into them. Therefore, the most important aspect of inState for me, is paving a path to corporate careers for those with similar experiences to myself.
I have previously interacted with various social mobility organisations and have found that although the focus on social mobility is often clear, there tends to be a divide between the knowledge and experience of mentors and their prospective mentees. With a focus on peer-to-peer focus mentoring, inState brings state-school educated university students with similar experiences together to both build their professional network and share experiences with their peers.
As the Vice President of inState, my role is to oversee and organise the operational-focused departments of inState, including; the Commercial Law Pathway Team, the Consulting Pathway Team, the Finance Pathway Team and the University Liaison Coordinator Team. Working with these teams has already provided me with a rich and insightful experience at inState, and I look forward to what inState has to offer state-school educated university students in the future!
Alaa Fawaz
Head of Strategy
Hi, I am the Head of Strategy at inState and I am a second year Law student at the University of Warwick. I was born and bred in Slough and my community there has influenced my identity and purpose massively.I began my journey in commercial law through social-mobility initiatives, growing with other students from state schools and low socio-economic backgrounds. There, I discovered how important it is to have a network of students in similar positions to yourself. It bred a comfortable environment to ask questions and learn about the various corporate pathways. Using my role at InState, I aim to bring about that same positive impact and aid students' professional journeys.As Head of Strategy, my role is to work with the incredible internal strategy advisory team to oversee the direction of inState and ensure that we work towards our core mission and values. I look forward to seeing the growth of inState and its impact on the next generation of go-getters and leaders. As a team, we aim to demonstrate that our differences are our greatest assets!
Brandan Powell-Josiah
Head of Operations
Hi, I am the Head of Operations. I am a third-year History student at the University of Oxford, born and raised in North London. I have been engaged with social mobility organisations since the age of 5, working with a local charity which encouraged disadvantaged young people to pursue careers in music, dance and the arts.
Growing up in an environment such as this has inspired a passion for work with young people, which continues to be central to my life to this day. After spending three years volunteering on this group’s Summer Vacation Scheme, I acted as a Committee Member/ Publicity Officer for a student-led charity offering mentorship for aspiring university students in Kenya, served as a consultant on a child-safeguarding project in Uganda, and most recently I have been working as part of a team developing a business strategy for a UK-based start-up supporting young people impacted by mental health issues. Now, I hope to continue supporting and empowering young people with inState!
As Head of Operations, I will be overseeing and directing the Commercial Law, Consulting and Finance pathways alongside our incredible team of pathway coordinators to plan and execute deliverables, while more broadly supporting the organisational and strategic direction of the charity as a member of the Executive board. I am extremely excited to take on this role alongside such talented and brilliant teammates, and I look forward to providing state school-educated students with the knowledge, connections and resources to break into the top corporate careers!
Stiofán Folan-Hasici
Head of Marketing & Technology
Hi, I'm a Marketing and Technology Lead here at inState, and I am going into my second year of Chemistry at the University of York. I grew up in East London, and attended a state school for my secondary education alongside Zain.Social Mobility in the United Kingdom is amongst the worst in the world, and its greatest drive is disparity in education. Volunteering at inState will allow me to play a part in instigating change that may one day change the shape of our rigid class system.As a Marketing and Technology Lead I will ensure every aspect of our online presence perfectly embodies our ethos, and complements our content. Utilising design theory and marketing strategies can be an incredibly powerful tool in driving organisational success and helping us achieve the levels of outreach we need.I am excited to see what the future holds for our organisation, the bright minds of our team, and of course our Members.
Marketing and Technology
Raghib Mirza
Website Development Lead
Hi, I'm the Website Development Lead.
I'm a third year Computer Science student at UCL. Having attended a state-school for all of secondary school and sixth form, inState's goals resonate with me deeply and I am eager to help build a platform that allows other students from a background like mine to get the experience that take them just that one step closer to the success which they deserve.
Don Charles - Lambert
Web Design Lead
Hello, I'm the Website Design Lead.I'm a third year Computer Science student at UCL. Having grown up in Croydon, inState's ideals resonated with me profoundlyand I was enthusiastic about designing a system that enabled hardworking students to attain the opportunities thatthey desire.
Internal Strategy Advisory Team
Sam Edwards
Partnerships and Collaborations Advisor
I read History at the University of Oxford, having previously studied at a non-selective state school in Cornwall. I am currently undertaking the PGDL ahead of joining Slaughter and May in 2022. In my role on the Internal Strategy Advisory Team I support the creation of key targets and help formulate policy for inState.
There’s a plenty of initiatives that seek to improve access and representation at leading universities, but too often these initiatives stop at the point of admission. At inState we take things a step further by bringing together various strands under one platform in order to support access to competitive careers.
Sami Berisha
Funding Advisor
Hi, I am on the Internal Strategy Advisory Team and, here’s a curveball, I am going into my sophomore (second) year at an American university called Northwestern University. This is usually met with shock, as how does a state-school educated individual from North London study at a prestigious and private University in the US, and how do I afford it? The answers to these questions are social mobility organisations and a scholarship.
This forms the largest part of my impetus to join inState, as I owe much of my achievements to social mobility organisations and the mentorship and networking opportunities afforded by them. Volunteering with InState allows me to give back through helping others traverse barriers such as a lack of a foundational network which I, just like hundreds of other state-school students, had to build-up alone. inState therefore enables me in the process of aiding students to access the same opportunities I had; opportunities which might very well change the course of someone’s life as they have mine.
Mohshin Mannan
Partnerships and Collaborations Advisor
Hi, my name is Mohshin, and I am a recent Land Economy graduate at the University of Cambridge. Having attended a non-selective state school in Hounslow (West London), I understand and appreciate the critical importance of ensuring the success of state school students. For me, the most significant barrier facing students today is a lack of information regarding the opportunities available to them. I hope that, through my role as an internal strategy advisor, I can help inState tackle this and many other important issues.
Niall Lamont
HR Lead + Internal Legal
Hi, I'm Niall and I study Law at Durham University. I'm excited to get involved in inState's Internal Advisory Team. I too was faced with the adversity of pursuing a corporate career from a state school background. However I was helped immensely when I took part in a social mobility programme. This helped me to understand the importance of advocacy and inState's mission to target state school inequalities for students pursuing corporate carers. inState represents an innovative student-led approach to tackle these pervasive barriers, which stops students reaching and realising their true potential. I'm looking forward to give back the support that I received and promote inState in its mission!
Pathway Coordinators
Natalie Jolly
(Lead) Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
Hi, I am Lead Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator. In my role, I will be overseeing the peer-mentorship programme as well as working hard to compile lots of opportunities and resources for our users. My aim is to help level the playing field, especially in an industry as competitive as law, I wish to do this by helping to bridge the gap caused by lack of connections and opportunities and making law more accessible.
I grew up in Hong Kong and Macau, before moving to the UK and studying at a grammar school in Surrey. I recently graduated with a degree in Law with a Year abroad and I am about to start the Barrister Training Course at BPP in September.
Bethany Pedder
Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
Hi! I am on the Internal Strategy Advisory Team here at inState and I am going into my final year of the Law LLB at the University of Bristol.I joined inState as I have seen first-hand the difficulty that state school students face accessing corporate careers. As the first generationin my family to go to university, I lacked the connections and network necessary to gain work experience which is so important when pursuing acorporate career. Having been a part of mentorship programmes, I know how crucial these are for state school students, and I am excited to bepart of an organisation which aims to provide this for hardworking, talented people. I believe that state school students deserve a platform likeinState, and I am ready to challenge the status quo. My career ambition is to become a commercial lawyer in the city. I have undertaken aninternship at DLA Piper, and will be taking part in a vacation scheme with Hogan Lovells in December.
Sophie Plant
Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
I am currently a Masters Student studying my LPC part time whilst working as a paralegal in Leicester.I am passionate about working to reduce the unfairness in opportunities between students in state schoolsand those privately educated. There is enormous talent within state schools and I am excited to help pupilsexcel and flourish in the corporate sector. I believe the biggest obstacle facing state educated students islack of connections, including a lack of representation as well as minimal support and guidance for startingcorporate careers. I thoroughly enjoyed studying commercial law throughout my LLB and hope to gain trainingexperience in this area. Having studied law in Australia I am excited at the supranational element of commerciallaw and hope to work with firms across borders.
Holly Hill
Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
Hi, I am a Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator. I have just completed my second year studying Law and Spanish at University of Bristol; and I will be moving to Madrid this year to study at the Universidad de Carlos III de Madrid.
I grew up in Birmingham, went to a state school. As the first person in my family to go to university, I can recognise the disadvantage that students from similar backgrounds to myself often feel when comparing experiences such as these to those from private school backgrounds. This divide is most evident when pursuing a corporate career since many state-school educated university students lack familial connections in corporate fields. Therefore, I have found it difficult to source work experience and gain advice regarding what a professional career entails and the skills required.
One of my main aims in my role at inState is to try to ‘level the playing field’, allowing true talent and hard-work to shine through. I hope to pursue a career in commercial law once I have graduated from university.
I have undertaken first-year schemes at Clifford Chance and Shearman & Sterling, as well as having acted as a Campus Ambassador for Dentons and Legal Cheek. I have had additional work experience at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and the Legal Social Mobility Partnership (now Social Mobility Business Partnership).
Hollie Hamblett
Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
Hi, I am a Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator and a Law student at King’s College London, originally from Leeds. I aim to be a barrister, specialising in commercial and intellectual property law. Whilst President of the King’s College London Bar and Mooting Society (2019-20), I worked hard to make the Bar a more inclusive environment for all. I hope to continue my dedication to access within my role at InState also by helping state-school educated students to access the profession easier. As one of the corporate law pathway coordinators at inState, I hope to continue this work to make law a more accessible and inclusive profession for those of us from state schools.
Anungo Tumennasan
Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
Hello, I am a penultimate year Law student at UCL and your Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator! I am originally from Mongoliaand was raised in Vienna, Austria before moving to the UK in 2017, where I attended a comprehensive state school.In my role, I am responsible for helping to design the Law Pathway mentorship scheme, to create a professional development seriesand to produce content including commercial awareness updates and interview advice. My focus is to ensure that all members pursuing acareer in commercial law will be equipped with strong advice and experience (from workshops, peer-to-peer mentoring and other ways)in order to make competitive applications to law firms. Ultimately, my aim is to help bridge the gap and make law more accessibleto state school students so that commercial law is a more inclusive environment.
Lillith Nelhans McDonald
Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
Hi, I’m Lillith, a Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator and a German & History student at King’s College London.I grew up in London and Hertfordshire and, having been state school educated and a recipient of free school meals,I understand how daunting Commercial Law applications can seem to state school students.As an aspiring commercial solicitor, I want to share the experience and knowledge that I’ve built up over the lastcouple of years, and I joined InState because I know what the biggest concerns can be for state school students.One of the things I’ve struggled with most is networking- it seems that all of my privately educated friends haveconnections in the industries they want to go into, and it’s taken me a while to build up the confidence to go outof my way and make my own connections. I will be helping to organise events and workshops to help state schoolstudents develop the skills they need to make competitive applications, and I look forward to using my ownexperiences to compile opportunities for those from underrepresented backgrounds in commercial law.
Saadia Sajid
Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator
Hi, I am a Commercial Law Pathway Coordinator and I am going into my third year at LSE, studying Law.I grew up in East London, and attended a state school where access to role models who studied at Oxbridgeor Russell Group universities, or gone on to secure jobs in high profile fields, was not the norm. Instead,I turned to social mobility organisations which provided me with a sense of hope, access to mentors and aninsight into careers which I previously assumed were unattainable. I now hope to pursue a career as a commerciallawyer.
Through these organisations, I obtained internships at White & Case, Clifford Chance, HSF and went on toapply for, and obtain a scholarship from Linklaters. Having benefitted from social mobility organisations myself,I wanted to ensure that other students like me, also reap the benefits. Whilst being an elected member of YouthParliament for Newham, I put on an access conference for 3000 students from lower socio economic backgrounds,to connect with high profile professionals from law firms, consultancy firms and banks.
The ethos behind InState, is one that truly resonates with me. InState will allow students to create and bepart of, social networks that can help navigate them through their journeys towards corporate careers. I hopeto utilise this platform to bridge the gap between disadvantaged state school students and high profile careerpaths, in the hope that these are made more accessible for them.
Yasmin Primrose
(Lead) Consulting Pathway Coordinator
Hello! My name is Yasmin and I’m a Consulting Pathway Coordinator for inState. I’ve recently graduated from the University of York with a BSc in Chemistry and this year I will be completing an MSc in Machine Learning at the University of Nottingham. I’ve also interned as a technology consultant for two of the largest global professional services firms and hope to gain a graduate role in the sector for next year.I started exploring possible corporate career paths during my second year at York - I understand how easy it can be to slip into uni life, stay focused on a course and leave daunting career decisions until after graduation! For me, as I independently sought out experience and navigated complex application processes, I continually felt that I both wasn’t qualified for and didn’t know enough about consultancy.This is why I’m so excited to be a part of inState, where I will be able to help give others the advice and information I wish I had known earlier. Working with the other consulting pathway coordinators, I hope to support and empower other state school educated students by increasing their awareness of, and employability for, existing opportunities, as well as creating novel mentoring and professional development schemes, eventually launching students into successful careers in consulting.
Xudong Wang
Consulting Pathway Coordinator
Hey guys! I am Xudong, a third-year Physicist at the University of Cambridge. Having moved to the UK at the age of 10 with minimal proficiency in English, learning a new language and being state educated in East London had its challenges. Despite that, I have excelled both academically and career-wise. I have had a wealth of experiences within consulting, from involvements in student-led consultancy groups to interning at consulting firms.
As someone passionate about social mobility and understand the barrier that state-educated students face, I would love to share the knowledge I have accumulated over the years to the next generation!
Japji Singh Gaba
Consulting Pathway Coordinator
Hi, I am a second year student reading Economics and Management at the University of Oxfordand one of inState's Consulting Pathway Coordinators. I was born and raised in Northolt,West London and my academic background consists exclusively of education at non-selective state schools.It is my personal experiences as a state-school student coming into university with the intention of pursuing acorporate career that motivates me to be a part of the inState project. Whilst I like to see myself assomeone who is very proactive in seeking opportunities outside of formal education to engage in,I came to university evidently less prepared and less knowledgable than my privately educated peerswhen the conversation turned to corporate careers. Mitigating this very discrepancy between differenteducational backgrounds is what I aim to contribute to with inState through passing on the knowledge Ihave now accumulated to students at an earlier stage, making first year opportunities like spring weeksmore achievable for state-school students.
Omar Almubarak
Consulting Pathway Coordinator
Hey! My name is Omar and I am a Consulting Pathway Coordinator for inState. I am currently completing my Masters in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Bath. I have interned at a financial services company, a global technology consultancy and I have managed strategy projects at a student-run consultancy. All these experiences have provided me with a holistic understanding of the consulting industry. Throughout my educational career, I noticed a myriad of barriers that limit the opportunties available to state- educated students. These barries limit professional development during early stage education; therefore, decreasing the likelihood of gaining skilful work experience throughout university. I have experienced these difficulties first-hand throughout my university life. This is why I am very passionate about social-mobility and its ability to breed innovation. Through inState, I hope to pass on the knowledge I have accumulated through out the early stage of my career to better prepare fellow state-educated students to achieve their full potential.
Rebecca Williamson
(Lead) Finance Pathway Coordinator
I'm currently going into my final year studying English Literature at the University of Leeds. I'm also learning several languages, with my favourite being Mandarin Chinese. My secondary school experience was a time I struggled with in particular.The biggest barrier I faced was exposure or the lack of it, which led to other personal issues such as mental health which I still work on to this day.
Peer mentoring in University has been an incredible, seeing my mentees achieve their dreams has been fantastic. InState is the organisation that I would have loved to have benefitted myself. Therefore, the mission is close to my heart and I am incredibly passionate about social mobility and success in my peers.
My career ambitions mirror with my personal ones. I want to travel, help others succeed and be happy. My work experience journey with Deutsche Bank has been outstanding. From the High Yield Programme to the Summer Internship, I have had incredible support and knowledge given to me that I will certainly treasure for years to come.
Grace Massamba
Finance Pathway Coordinator
Hi, I am a Finance Pathway Coordinator and I study Politics at the University of York. I was born in London and I have spent the majority of my life in the city but that has not stopped me from being curious about the world and the endless options we all have to explore life.
One of the things I felt I lacked going to secondary school and sixth form in Hackney was career information. I felt I was unsure about the options that existed beyond what I was immediately surrounded by. I’m excited to be a part of this initiative as I believe inState will bridge the gap that state-school students face and I look forward to working with everyone who will be taking advantage of what we have to offer!
Policy Team
Shanen Nursimloo
Policy Lead
Hi guys, I'm Shanén! I'm a finalist Sociology student at Durham University and I'm the Lead University Liaison Coordinator for inState.My role involves providing strategic oversight and management of inState's Campus Ambassadors across the UK. I am also responsible for the recruitment of mentors and mentees for the Pathway Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Programmes. Put simply, I'm here to ensure that inState can benefit as many of you as possible.I grew up in Leyton (not far from our President!) as a state-school educated student. A barrier I faced during my tenure in state-education was the lack of guidance, opportunities, and support provided to both me and my peers. This not only meant that students achieved below-average A-Level grades, but it also meant they missed out on several opportunities that would have otherwise informed and furthered their progression into a fulfilling career. Without proper guidance, I mistakenly conformed to the aspirations of my parents to become a doctor, and it wasn't until later during my first year of A-Levels that I realised I wanted to do something completely different - Commercial Law.I am very grateful for efforts of social mobility organisations in helping me get to where I am today. But now, I'd like to pay that forward to an even wider crowd. As a strong believer that knowledge is power, I think it should be free and accessible to everyone. And so, through working with inState team, I am committed to forming the next generation of graduates - ones that will prosper irrespective of their class position.
Filip Likus
Events and Policy Coordinator
Hi, I am a University Liaison Coordinator within inState. I am going into my final year of Physics at the University of Warwick.
Having grown up in London, I experienced first-hand the contrast of experiences between students educated at private-school and those educated at state-schools. It was often- and still is- the case that private-school educated students received in-depth guidance in regards to their future career paths, while state-school educated students were largely left to their own devices when it came to our careers. One of the reasons why I joined inState was to correct this disparity for state-school educated university students; I look forward to committing to this vision in my role as University Liaison Coordinator.
University Liaison Team
Leonie Graham
(Lead) University Liaison Coordinator
Hi, I am a University Liaison Coordinator at inState and I am entering my final year of Law at the University of Bristol.I grew up in Kent and attended a state school. I am also the first person in my family to attend university or enter the legal profession. As a result of this, I resonate strongly with the challenges that many state school students are presented with when accessing higher education or corporate career paths. A lack of legal connections, alongside these social barriers, have hindered my own experiences and made it difficult to obtain legal work experience. The wealth of disparities between privately educated and state school educated students is a wide concern which needs to be resolved.Therefore, I am a strong advocate for social mobility and increasing opportunities for individuals from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. I am currently on the committee for the Bristol University Women in Leadership society which seeks to equalise opportunities for women in positions of power and challenge dominant stereotypes. I have also been involved with a wide array of social mobility initiatives and actively encourage socially disadvantaged students to pursue corporate interests. For me, inState is a fundamental organisation in a progressive society to empower students and enhance intersectionality. I look forward to ensuing my interest in social mobility throughout my role at inState!
Amelia Bunce
University Liaison Coordinator
Hi, my name is Amelia and I'm a University Liaison Coordinator at inState. I am a final year Law student at the University of Exeter, and I am hoping to undertake the LPC when I graduate with the goal of training as a solicitor in the city afterwards. I am originally from South Wales and attended state, church schools from the ages of three to eighteen. Because of this, I understand the barriers that students from under-funded, state schools face when attempting to enter corporate spheres. The biggest problem that I faced was that I had a lack of connections in the legal world in comparison to my private-school educated peers. For this reason, inState stood out to me as an organisation. The idea that state school people can use the new technologies presented to us to group together and create a new, internal resource of contacts to support one another in our career journeys is inspiring. I currently sit as General Secretary for the Women and Law Society at the university, and the Women's Officer for the University of Exeter Law Society. As part of these roles, I am seeking to help tackle the impostor syndrome that women are often faced with in the legal industry. Through my work on the inState team, I am also seeking to be part of the liberation of less privileged people into corporate positions, and to minimise the feelings of inferiority that state school educated people often face in these workplaces. I am excited to continue my work at inState, hopefully seeing growth of the charity and its members in the coming years.
Inaya Zaman
University Liaison Coordinator
Hi everyone! I'm Inaya and I am a first-year History student at Queen Mary. My role as a University Liaison Coordinator involves working with campus ambassadors and being an initial point of contact for students and societies at universities. Attending a state-school in Tower Hamlets meant that I received little information and guidance about pursuing a corporate career. It was through my own research that I concluded that I would like to pursue a career in Commercial Law. Whilst private schools equip their students with a network of professionals, state-school students struggle with networking due to lack of exposure. Throughout my time at school, I engaged with social mobility organisations so I am aware of just how helpful they are. Through working with inState, I look forward to helping those who come from a similar background pursue their career paths!
Matthew Christie
University Liaison Coordinator
Hi, I'm Matthew! I'm a first-year undergraduate studying Spanish and Russian at the University of Cambridge and also a University Liaison Coordinator here at inState. I was wholly educated in non-selective state schools in Nottingham and am the first generation in my family to go to university. The fact remains that students from privately-educated backgrounds benefit from an abundance of advice and connections which facilitate their career progression, furthering wealth inequality and limiting social mobility for others. This ultimately means that state-educated students can feel alienated when it comes to corporate careers. Personally, I wish to explore career paths in Commercial Law and Consulting, and therefore inState's mission to redress the balance of under-represented groups in corporate environments is something I'm excited to be part of.
Latasha Jackson
University Liaison Coordinator
Hello! I am in my first year at The University of Nottingham and I study Civil Engineering. One of my career goals is to work in a Banking and Finance role that specialises in equity trading or managing a hedge fund portfolio. I was born and raised in Willesden, North West London and my background is Jamaican. After finishing my A-Levels, I became a Teacher of English as a Second Language and spent a year working in a school in Honduras. I can speak fluent Spanish and it is one of my most profound achievements to date. When I came back to the UK, I spent a year working in recruitment at an educational charity that sets up tuition programmes, in English and Maths, for disadvantaged students in London. In my experience of being a Black, state educated student, there are a lot of microaggressions made about us in society that prohibit us from getting the opportunities we need to progress on the social mobility ladder. Because of the lack of belief in myself, and the opportunities available to me, I felt ill-prepared for the process of a corporate career in comparison to my privately educated counterparts, and I know a lot of state-school students feel the same way. I am now motivated to encourage state-educated students to pursue a corporate career and help them believe that's it's more achievable.
Our Pathways
Consulting
Finance
Commercial Law
By State School Students, for State School Students.
United by students from across the country from the following universities