Working in Imperial’s Outreach team, José Monteiro has been the driving force behind Imperial’s STEM Potential programme for over a decade. STEM Potential is a multi-year programme of activities and support, developed to help young people discover STEM and to help them navigate the pathway to university. José is passionate about making science and higher education accessible as well as inspiring students from underrepresented backgrounds - backgrounds similar to his own.

José grew up in Portugal and was the first in his family to go to university. “My parents didn’t know much about higher education, but they always wanted us to do well and achieve. I was probably the first person on my street to go to university, let alone in my family,” he says. “So I find it fulfilling to now help students - who are less represented and may find it more difficult to engage with STEM - break those barriers.”

After developing a passion for science communication alongside his studies in Portugal, José moved to the UK and started working in London’s Science Museum. There he engaged a wide range of audiences and developed new activities to engage young people with science. It was a natural fit then when he joined Imperial in 2014 to deliver a newly-developed outreach programme - STEM Potential.

“STEM Potential runs over a number of years,” he explains. “There are two entry points – one in Year 10 for students who are starting their GCSE studies and one in Year 12 for A-level students. Since many of the Year 10 cohort continue the programme at Year 12, we work with some students for as long as four years.”

The support students get on the programme is wide-ranging and, to date, over 2,000 young people have participated. Each year, 60 students join in Year 10 and 110 students in Year 12. Of those, 50-70% apply to Imperial with around ten securing a place each year, José says.

Despite the numbers, the programme is heavily oversubscribed recieving over 800 applications to the Year 12 scheme last year. “We have to look at academic grades, but we ultimately recruit based on who is most likely to benefit,” says José. This means they look at socio-economic and personal criteria such as indices of deprivation in areas where students live, or whether they receive free school meals or have been in care, he explains.

From hands-on workshops to university application guidance, participants are supported through every step of their academic journey. “It’s quite different to other outreach programmes,” explains José. “There's a strong focus on the academic work, so it's not just about providing students with information and giving a taste of university life, but also about actively supporting students with the subjects they're doing, helping them reach their full potential.”

The social aspect of the programme is also important to José. “The days are long and can be intense so we make sure they have time to rest and socialise. What’s really nice, is you see friendships forming. You see the students getting to know each other and sitting around the table talking and playing games together.”

This comradery is a highlight of the programme but it hasn’t always come easily. “During the height of COVID we couldn't run events in person so we did our best to replicate the experience online and make it as interactive as possible,” says José.

With the support of his colleagues across the Outreach team, José had to think creatively about how to ensure there was still a practical element to the programme. “We posted kits for them to do experiments at home to mimic what they would do in the lab. For example, we sent kits with electronic components for students to build their own version of a theremin musical instrument.”

Despite these efforts, José remembers a marked difference in the students when they were able to come onto campus. “They were extremely pleased and quite emotive about being able to meet the people in their group again and being able to take part in person. I remember how happy they were to be here on campus.”

Making the students feel comfortable is also built into the programme - for many, it is their first time on a university campus. “It can be scary coming somewhere like Imperial. They might think we are not friendly, so we try to make sure they know we are approachable.” Indeed, José receives multiple emails a week from STEM Potential students asking questions about university life and the application process.

But this is small fry, he explains, compared to the relationships the young people develop with the Student Ambassadors who help run the programme. “They find it really valuable to speak with someone studying here - they ask questions about the courses and get a better idea of what they would like to do in the future.”

In fact, many STEM Potential students who end up studying at Imperial sign up to be Student Ambassadors themselves, determined to give back and offer the same support and guidance they received. It is these full circle stories that drive home how impactful the programme is and for José’s part, he is resolute in his mission to help widen participation in STEM and higher education.

For sisters Kiranpreet and Jasveen Motizada, education has always been a privilege rather than a given. Growing up in West London as the daughters of Afghan Sikh immigrants, the sisters understood early on the power of education. Demonstrating remarkable academic abilities and a keen interest in science, both sisters were accepted onto Imperial’s STEM Potential programme in 2018 and 2019 respectively. 

“Our parents couldn’t finish their education,” explains Jasveen, the younger sister. “They fled Afghanistan due to religious persecution before they sought asylum in the UK. They always emphasised the importance of education, but they couldn’t advise us on navigating it - they just didn’t have that experience.” 

Both sisters became trailblazers in their family as the first to attend university. Supported by the STEM Potential programme, Jasveen is now an engineering student at the University of Bristol. For Kiranpreet, who is now an Imperial Physics graduate pursuing a law conversion, joining the programme in Year 12 was life changing. “My sixth form teacher told me about it and encouraged me to apply. I didn’t even know what Imperial was back then,” she admits. “STEM Potential played a crucial role in shaping my academic journey. It unlocked doors I wouldn’t have reached on my own."

For Jasveen, the decision to follow in her sister’s footsteps came naturally. “Kiran told me, ‘You have to do this. It’ll open doors.’ She found it really valuable,” she says. Jasveen joined the programme in Year 10, gaining her first glimpse into university life through hands-on workshops, experiments, and mentorship. 

Kiran recalls how uncertain she felt before joining STEM Potential, taking a mixture of humanities and STEM subjects at A-level. "But it was a STEM Potential workshop that made me realise that physics is what I wanted to study," she says. "We built a cloud chamber to observe muon particles from space, and I can’t put into words the impact that had on me - it's hard to explain. It was mind-blowing and I just thought it was so exciting.” 

The support went beyond inspiration though. STEM Potential helped Kiran hone practical skills like writing her personal statement and preparing for interviews. "Our school was really supportive, but accessing resources and guidance for top university applications - like Imperial - was a challenge, so STEM Potential helped bridge that gap," she says.

Kiran is grateful that her path led her to study physics at Imperial, where she thrived despite starting during the pandemic. “My first year was all online apart from going into the labs, but I made it through. Studying physics at Imperial is tough but it taught me resilience and gave me so many skills. I’m really glad I got to do it,” she says. After graduating in 2023, Kiran pivoted to a career in law, something she had long been interested in, and is now on track to become a lawyer through a firm she did an outreach programme with in sixth form alongside STEM Potential.

“It’s all come full circle,” she says. “As weird as it sounds, there are parallels to be drawn between physics and law. I feel like studying physics really honed my problem-solving skills - filtering out the key information and applying logical steps to obtain a solution. I’ve found this is transferable to solving legal problems.”

Jasveen’s STEM Potential experience, though similar, was also shaped by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining in Year 10, she had one in-person session before everything moved online, she recalls. Despite the shift, the programme’s support remained unwavering. “José [Monteiro, the programme coordinator] and the team were always available and they made the programme really accessible and engaging,” she says. 

The mentoring aspect of the programme, facilitated by Brightside – an online platform - proved particularly impactful for Jasveen. She was paired with Vittoria (Vita) Dessì, an Imperial engineering student who became a vital source of guidance during a turbulent final year of A-levels, marked by a family health crisis and challenges at home. “That year was so tough. Vita became someone I could turn to, outside of the situation, who helped me stay focused on my goals.” 

Vita’s guidance, combined with the support of STEM Potential, helped Jasveen secure offers from all her university choices. Her determination and resilience also earned her the Brightside Mentee of the Year award for dedication and commitment. “It felt surreal,” she says. “Me and my sister went to the awards together - it was such an honour to have my efforts recognised.” 

For Jasveen, STEM Potential not only helped her secure a place at university but also sparked a passion for using engineering to address global challenges. She is currently working on designing robots to excavate landmines and hopes to move into medical engineering to create more inclusive healthcare solutions. 

“Funnily enough, my dad wanted to do engineering and I’m doing it now. It’s a shame he couldn’t pursue it, but it makes me want to make the most of the opportunities I have and work hard,” says Jasveen.  

Both sisters are passionate about giving back. Kiran returned to her old school through Imperial’s Communicating Physics module to teach lessons and even recreated the cloud chamber experiment that inspired her. “I wanted to show students that physics is more than just equations in a textbook - it’s fascinating and full of possibilities,” she explains. 

Jasveen also mentors students and plans to rejoin Brightside as a mentor. “I want to be that person who makes someone else’s journey easier,” she says. 

“Our parents and grandparents went through a lot to give us the opportunities we’ve had. I feel so lucky and privileged to have that,” says Kiran. Jasveen agrees, adding, “Programmes like STEM Potential are great for helping people see what they’re capable of without being defined by their background.”

Indeed, the Motizada sisters are not just daughters of immigrants or first-generation students, they are ambitious and intelligent with a deep appreciation for education and they are determined to make a meaningful impact.