Page 72 - Future Leaders Magazine

AIM HIGHER
‘We Want More Like Us at Top Universities’

Savannah Harriott Future Leaders Mikai McDermott and
Savannah Harriott believe their mentoring

ariConnect is a charitable charity CariConnect will increase attainment
organisation aiming to increase
the number of students of figures of Caribbean-heritage students
C Caribbean heritage at Russell
Group universities in the UK. This
organisation aims to provide crucial support
and practical advice to sixth form students
of Caribbean descent who have the potential
for academic excellence.
The organisation was conceived to
tackle the disproportionately low number
of students of Caribbean heritage at
Russell Group universities. Founder Mikai
McDermott and myself (as vice-president),
who are both of Caribbean heritage,
identified various factors contributing to
the lack of Caribbean students at Russell
Group universities. One issue is a lack

“CariConnect believes
that representation

is a vital part of one’s
ability to achieve”

of information regarding the process of
university applications as well as an ultimate
lack of representation of Caribbean scholars
within academic spaces.
In order to help rectify some of these
issues the charity aims to provide supportive
and inspirational mentoring from university
students to younger students during
their time at sixth form up until their
university offer. CariConnect believes that
representation is a vital part of one’s ability
to achieve. Our organisation subscribes to
the belief that exposure to scholars with a
background similar to one’s own can create
a sense of belief that can validate one’s own by the time and effort by offering moral support and practical
aspirations. We hope that this mentorship consistently invested into help with the university application
scheme will provide students with a visible the organisation during process. Such help includes
role model and person of contact during their own university assistance with personal
their time studying A-levels. term time. The team statements and advice on
Mentors were selected via a social media has already initiated how to select the best
outreach. After assessment of their ability a relationship with university for every student.
to be a capable mentor, the best people were schools in North Each of CariConnect’s
warmly welcomed on to the team, with and South London mentors endeavours to
the current team comprising six university with plans to roll out get to know their mentees’
students. As with all successful teams, only the first cycle of their mentoring interests both inside and
the most passionate, dedicated members scheme in September 2017. There outside of school in order to
can contribute and cause a real impact on are also strategies to form formulate a success
the objective at hand. The team of mentors strong relationships criteria for them to
fully embodies that, as demonstrated with their mentees achieve their goals.

70 FUTURE LEADERS | 2017-18