Vanessa Madu is a PhD student at Imperial College London. Her journey to Imperial was peppered with adversity that few young people face. She first came to the university aged 14 as part of the Insights Summer School where she spent four days attending STEM taster sessions and learning about university. Her experience changed the course of her life. She went on to join Imperial as an undergraduate in Mathematics and has become a role model for future generations of mathematicians.

Vanessa's passion for her subject is palpable. For her PhD, she is using statistics and machine learning to understand ocean currents and how they move debris, such as plastic waste, around the planet. “It’s fascinating to me that we can use maths to predict how something as complicated as the ocean is going to behave," she explains. "It feels like magic.”

Before the Summer School, Vanessa didn't know Imperial existed. "University felt so far away," she says. "But the Summer School made me feel that university was for people like me. It was the first time I’d encountered other people who really liked science. It’s difficult to explain how big an impact that had on me. I feel quite emotional thinking about this. I was always an odd one out in my school because of my love for science and maths but at Imperial I didn’t feel like that. I felt like I belonged.”

Vanessa didn't have the easiest start in life. "I had complicated family dynamics which meant there was a lot of disruption to my schooling. I was a young carer until very recently meaning I had more responsibilities than your typical teenager.

“My school also didn’t teach the full Further Maths A-level – which is a problem if you want to do a maths degree. So I had to teach myself some of the modules - I found the syllabus online, ordered the textbooks and sat the exams myself."

Vanessa also recently found out that she is autistic. "It immediately made sense when I got the diagnosis. I used to say I liked numbers more than people! I imagine maths is as intuitive to me as social cues are to non-autistic people," she reflects.

“I needed to drag myself to Imperial. Everything was against me in terms of being able to get in but I’m here, and the Summer Schools played a big role in that. I know I tick a lot of diversity boxes but the fact that I’m here doing a PhD shouldn’t be used to suggest that everything’s fine," she adds. "There’s still a long way to go when it comes to equality, diversity and inclusion."

Vanessa's transition to university wasn't smooth - she fell ill after her first year and was forced to pause her studies. “That experience really changed my perspective on what’s important. I couldn’t do any maths and that made me feel so sad. When I came back, I focused on the things I wanted to do and surrounded myself with great people who also love maths. My grades shot up and that was when I became a Student Ambassador with the Outreach Team and started helping out on the Summer Schools. It was a full circle moment. I realised this is what I wanted to be doing because the people that Outreach serves are people like me.”

Advocacy on her terms

Since joining Imperial, Vanessa has been involved in a range of initiatives related to equality, diversity and inclusion but has found that some are better suited to her than others. “I’ve often found I'm the poster child for things. I get called a trailblazer - which is nice - but I’m very aware of it so I feel this unusual pressure to constantly be different and overachieve," she says.

“I was put in the ‘Women in STEM’ box for a while. This got frustrating because I wasn’t Vanessa the mathematician; I was Vanessa the woman. But it was hard to shake this, so I conceded, and decided to embrace it for a while. I care about ‘Women in STEM’ as a cause, and many good things came out of championing it. We ran a junior hackathon for girls, for example, and I learnt that I actually love sharing my science with children and now it’s one of the things I love most."

The things Vanessa liked least were being asked to influence policy or "play consultant for how to improve diversity," she says. "I often didn’t actually want to be there. Diversity in STEM is so important but it’s not a battle I want to fight in terms of changing policies, I want to be a role model."

Fatiha Tabassum is a third-year physics student at Imperial and the first in her family to go to university. Born in Italy to Bangladeshi parents, Fatiha’s educational journey has been marked by frequent moves and adapting to new environments. She moved to the UK in 2018, just before starting her GCSEs and, despite initial challenges, including mastering English and navigating a new education system, her passion for mathematics and science shone through. “Maths and science stay the same wherever you go,” she says. She is now a Student Ambassador working on the same Outreach programmes she participated in as a school student.

When Fatiha first arrived in the UK, she was placed in the bottom sets for her classes and was given low predicted grades for her GCSEs. “The high school I went to know was known as the worst in the borough,” she says. “It was hard at first. Because I was in lower grades, I wasn’t really told about any STEM-related opportunities available to me, which, looking back, is incredibly frustrating.” Thankfully, it soon became apparent to her teachers that she was both skilled and passionate when it came to maths and science so she was moved to the top set. “When I moved up, I found out about subjects like Engineering and Computing. It was also when I learned about university and first heard of Imperial. I had ambitions and so made a plan for my A-levels.”

Fatiha found a sixth form college known for sending its pupils to Imperial and Oxbridge. “I think it’s known as one of the best, and because I’d moved into the top sets, I had the confidence to apply there.” There she received the support she needed and was signposted to Imperial’s Outreach programmes including the mA*ths Online Programme.

“I wanted to get an A* so I could study somewhere like Imperial – that's why I applied to the programme,” she says. She received mentorship from Imperial students and attended online tutorials throughout the year and it was during this that she discovered the Year 12 Work Experience programme – a scheme that provides insight into the world of research at Imperial. “That was also online because of COVID,” she explains. “But there was a practical element - we were sent a box full of equipment and experiments to do. It was really cool.”

Both these programmes aim to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to reach the highest grades and learn about university life. “The reason why these outreach activities are so important is that they give you exposure,” says Fatiha. She goes on to explain that if you don’t have anyone in your family or network who has been to university, it’s harder to know what’s entailed in applying and going into higher education and what the benefits are. “This includes basic things like student finance and the recruitment process,” she says. “Even knowing that these outreach activities are free and that they exist – that's really important.”

That ‘exposure’ was invaluable to Fatiha and she is committed to ensuring other young people like her have the same access to guidance and support regardless of where they come from. That is why she became a Student Ambassador. “I signed up to be a Student Ambassador as soon as I started at Imperial,” she says. “I enjoyed the programmes and I felt like it would be useful if I joined as a mentor for the younger kids. It’s kind of like giving back.”

As a mentor on the mA*ths Online Programme, Fatiha works with ten A-level students, providing them with one-to-one support with their studies but also answering any questions they might have about Imperial and life as a university student. “I remember it feeling like I had a big sister so that’s what I try to be for them,” she says. “It’s just really useful speaking to someone who’s a few years ahead of you.”

Fatiha, in turn, has her own mentor. “We have a Women in Physics Society and there’s a mentoring programme where they pair up a PhD student with an undergraduate. I'm in the programme and it’s great. I have a mentor, and they tell me what it is like doing a PhD, how they applied and share tips and guidance. I find it really useful for working out my next steps.”

Fatiha’s story highlights the hidden challenges faced by many young people who are underrepresented in STEM and at universities. Now as a Student Ambassador and mentor, she is determined to ensure others have access to the support and inspiration that shaped her path.

In the autumn of 2023, Imperial Maths School opened its doors. A specialist sixth form for 16-19-year-olds with an enthusiasm for the mathematical sciences, Imperial Maths School is a partnership between Imperial College London and the Frontier Learning Trust. It is designed to nurture exceptional young talent and inspire the pioneers of the future in maths and science. At the helm is headteacher David Lee, whose passion for mathematics is matched by his unwavering commitment to helping high-achieving students thrive regardless of background.

Students at Imperial Maths School study A-levels in maths and further maths plus either chemistry or physics - or both. An optional fourth A-level can be in any subject offered on the curriculum of Woodhouse College, which is also part of the Frontier Learning Trust and on whose estate the Maths School is located. “We’ve got a couple of students who are talented musicians and so they do music A-level,” says David who himself studied French and English alongside maths at A-level. “We are here for young people who have a specific interest in the mathematical sciences but that doesn’t mean you can’t explore other subjects.”

The benefit of everyone doing both maths and further maths A-level, explains David, is that the school can offer something more bespoke compared to a traditional sixth form college. “We’re able to combine the two into one coherent narrative. It also helps the way we teach physics and chemistry - we can cover the mathematical aspects of these subjects in more depth.”

But the real difference is what happens outside the A-level syllabus. Students have problem-solving seminars each week, take part in short courses on coding and engineering and undertake group research projects mentored by Imperial academics and industry experts. “For these, we get them to create posters and give presentations,” says David. This aspect is important to him. He says, “You can be a great scientist or mathematician, but you need to be able to communicate your work or it’s not going to get anywhere.” These are just a few examples amongst an ever-evolving programme of enrichment and curriculum enhancement provided by Imperial.

David is determined to diversify the mathematical sciences. “I think a representative sector is a better sector. To widen participation, to communicate that there is no one typical person who is a mathematician or a scientist is really important. Our students come from all walks of life, and we hope to provide an education and an environment where they can all thrive. We’ve made progress,” he says, sharing that the school has increased its proportion of female students from 15% in the first Year 12 cohort to over 30% in the second. “But we’re aiming for true gender parity,” David adds.

David understands the power of role models in these efforts but asserts that “this isn’t a problem to be solved by women - I am as responsible, if not more responsible. It needs to be a collective effort, and this involves not only supporting young women but working with our male students to foster an inclusive culture. We won’t let our school feel like a boys club.”

Challenging young minds

Imperial Maths School aims to bring like-minded young people together where they can be challenged but also feel comfortable in themselves as mathematicians. David identifies with his students. “I was that kid,” he says. “I was good at maths - probably the best in my school - but I didn’t feel like I was challenged. I found it all reasonably easy. That’s one thing I bring into my teaching - I think how much I would have thrived if I had been pushed a bit more. I feel if you’re not getting things wrong, you’re not being stretched, and I didn’t really have that experience.”

David was inspired to go into teaching after working with primary schools as a volunteer during his degree in Mathematics and Philosophy. Though his experiences in teacher training were tough, his tenure at Hampstead School - a school with a large proportion of students on free school meals - rekindled his love for mathematics education, inspiring him to focus on nurturing exceptional talent. “Teaching maths makes you better at maths,” he says.

As well as creating pathways to success for their students, Imperial Maths School seeks to raise numeracy skills amongst young people across north London. Working with partner organisations, they deliver outreach activities in the local community. “We go out to local schools and we now have a new Head of Outreach who will work closely with community groups,” says David. “Currently we run a GCSE enrichment programme called Maths Extra for Year 11s. It's partially GCSE revision but it's also a taster of A-Level and shows them interesting mathematics they don’t get to do in their lessons.”

For David, Imperial Maths School is about more than academic achievement. “Success in exams should be a side effect of engaging meaningfully with mathematics,” he says. “Our vision is to inspire students to explore the magic of maths and become leaders in the field.”

Under David's leadership, Imperial Maths School is shaping a future where the mathematical sciences are accessible, inspiring, and inclusive. While the School awaits its first set of A-level results in summer 2025, it's the endless possibilities and future pathways of its students that David and the team are most excited about.