Being and belonging

Shifting the Lens

"It’s important for me to be somewhere where I can be myself"

Hollie, Juproop, Paula and Tiffany discuss their experiences at Imperial and how they bring their culture and identity to their work and studies as part of this year's Shifting the Lens series.

“Imperial is a place where I've found my people”

Whether it’s your place of study or your place of work, your environment and surroundings impact your sense of belonging.

Paula

Teaching Fellow, Faculty of Medicine

It’s important for me to be somewhere where I can be myself – I don’t think I would survive if I couldn’t be! From the very beginning, it’s been clear that the aim of Imperial is to support diversity and provide networks to support people from different backgrounds. It might not be perfect, but the whole world is in the process of getting these things right. I think it’s important to at least show people who join an organisation that it’s okay to be who you are – whether that’s a woman, Latino, gay, or however you identify.

Hollie

Undergraduate, Department of Life Sciences

I grew up in rural Worcestershire, where I was often the only person that looked like me. When I moved to London, this was the complete opposite – walking down the street I’d see people from all backgrounds. For me, Imperial is a place where I've found my people. I feel like I’ve found my own little community here, where I can be wholeheartedly myself. I feel as if I completely belong, and I think I'm just very lucky to have found that.

Imperial is incredibly multicultural, which is brilliant, but it’s not necessarily from my culture or background. The statistics of the numbers of students from Black and Caribbean backgrounds is incredibly low. Often I am the only person in the room from my background – and I don’t think I’ve ever been taught by a lecturer from a Black background. I try not to overthink it, but it is something that I’m conscious of. I spend a lot of time working in labs where there are lots of PhD students and TAs – many from diverse backgrounds, but not from Black backgrounds like me. I find that the overall idea of diversity can often obscure issues related to specific issues across all ethnicities, and I do think there needs to be a push for more diversity in terms of teaching staff.

Tiffany

Senior Teaching Fellow in Educational Development, Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship

Compared to London and the UK, where we have a diverse population, Taiwan is more homogenous. I grew up there surrounded by people of similar cultures and backgrounds and I wasn’t really aware of EDI-related issues until I came to the UK.

At Imperial, I can bring my whole self to work and I always stay true to myself. I think when we try to present ourselves in a way that doesn’t feel like us, that’s when it can be emotionally draining.

I think it’s fair to say there are not many people from Taiwan at Imperial. As a minority I have certainly experienced some instances of microaggression. However, in general, I find Imperial to be a supportive environment.

Juproop

Undergraduate, Department of Chemical Engineering

When I was younger, there were not many people that looked like me and when my mum used to speak to me in Punjabi, I’d say: “speak to me in English. I want to speak to you in English”. Now I feel differently as speaking to her in Punjabi is something that represents me, represents her and represents our connection. It also represents my connection with my grandparents, my father and my culture. I think the main thing that has changed is an understanding of why our culture is the way it is and why we have to carry it on. I did not really understand those things when I was younger because in the area I grew up there were no people that looked like me and everyone spoke English.

I like to be my loud, authentic self in front of everyone and I feel like Imperial has given me the opportunity to feel like I can do that and not feel like I have to be quiet, or that I have to behave a certain way. I can definitely bring myself to Imperial. I think that is because everyone comes from different backgrounds – everyone has different perspectives and that means that everyone is much more welcoming.

“Being able to share things and connect is a really good way to enhance a sense of belonging”

Staff and students at Imperial can find connection outside of their work and studies by joining staff networks and student societies.

Juproop

I wanted to study at Imperial because it was highly ranked for the course I wanted to do, but I also chose Imperial for its international community. I already knew that Imperial had a large Punjabi society, and each year they hosted the largest student-led dance competition called the Bhangra Showdown, a traditional Punjabi dance. I had not danced Bhangra much before university, but I have now attended a couple of classes that the Punjabi Society ran and really enjoyed it. I was fortunate to be on the committee of Punjabi Society this year as Head of Sponsorship and help to organise the Showdown. I really feel that the Punjabi society is my safe space – there I have people that look like me and relate to me both culturally and on a Punjabi level.

Hollie

One of the things I spend my time doing at Imperial is Cheerleading – both as a member of the team and on the committee. Growing up, I was a kid that wanted to do everything: swimming, tap, dance, jazz, singing and acting – I always wanted to be on the move. I regained that when I came to Imperial and I decided I’d do something outside of my comfort zone.

At the Freshers’ Fair, I met Mali, who was President of Cheer at the time, and she’s also a Black woman. She was really encouraging of me joining, and it turned out Cheer was nothing like my perception of it being for White, pretty, American teenage girls. At the first taster session, Mali’s hair bow had the Black Lives Matter logo on it, and I realised I didn’t need to worry – this is where I wanted to be. I’ve now been a member for two years – I've been to competitions, and now I’m on the committee. Hands down, Cheer is one of the best things I’ve done at Imperial.

Seeing Mali as the President was really big for me. She’s so unapologetically herself, she’s ambitious and happy the way she is. Seeing a Black woman lead this massive society is special. Black women are often lumped with stereotypes of overreacting, that they’re too loud or too much – it’s that angry Black woman stereotype. But seeing someone being unapologetically herself and who is so powerful and comfortable with leading, despite those hurdles is special and that’s why I ran for committee. I’ve also met such amazing friends through Cheer – so it’s an important feature of my time at Imperial.

Paula

I joined Imperial 600 and Imperial As One because I’m a big supporter of all types of diversity, and I’ve met some people from the Latin American Society.

I like being active and participating in these networks - I’ve given talks in some of them and participated in symposiums and events. I think these networks are one of the wonderful things about Imperial and that people get to find out about them.

Tiffany

I’m part of the Imperial As One staff network. They have lots of activities and I presented my work at one of their events. Historically at Imperial, some groups are typically underrepresented so it’s nice to connect with people from similar backgrounds, share things together and support each other.

Being able to connect is a really good way to enhance a sense of belonging. When you share certain experiences, people from similar cultures can relate to them better, especially when it comes to personal and emotional experiences.

“I felt like after I got into Imperial, it was my duty to pay it forward and help other people also get into university”

Hollie and Juproop share their involvement in outreach projects and what it means to them.

Hollie

I do a lot of work for Imperial outreach and that's because I'm from a lower socio-economic background. I went to state school my whole life, and the idea of outreach is to work with kids to help them get into top universities because they all have the potential. But, sometimes as much as you want it to be, potential isn't necessarily enough, you need an extra helping hand. Some people are more privileged and get this support through their schools, their family and friends, or maybe their parents went to university – but the reality is that a lot of people don’t have that. So Imperial works to give them a boost.

One of the Outreach projects I’ve worked on was Insight2Uni, where I mentored sixth formers from Black heritage backgrounds: one of my mentees even got an interview for Cambridge, which was pretty special!

I also do outreach work with Imperial summer schools, which is really fun. It’s something I did at school and I know it helped me. For the kids at the summer schools, it’s often their first time staying away from home and they get to experience student life: staying in halls, eating at the JCR and being out and about in London. By the time they’re at this stage, they already know they want to do science and it’s just about figuring out how they can get there. We take them out in the evenings to do things in London – for example, last summer we had trips to the Globe and to see West End shows. Sometimes the kids at summer schools come from homes where they don’t get to be a kid so seeing them relax is really nice. It’s special to see them going through those experiences for the first time, and I know that when I was in that position, it was an important point where I realised that university could be a reality, and it was achievable.

Initially, I thought of university in quite a specific way: lectures and study. Actually, some of the hardest parts are moving away for the first time, and I experienced this when I took part in the summer schools in Year 12, and I now get to support younger people through that experience.

Juproop

I run a YouTube channel called ChemEngWeekly where I create content about chemical engineering. There was so much about chemical engineering that I did not see before starting my degree and I wanted to make some of this more visible. Through my channel, I explore the science of why things happen and share with others what I am learning from my degree. I feel like that when I was applying for university, there was nobody out there that was mentoring students and helping them get into university.

I felt like after I got into Imperial, it was my duty to pay it forward and help other people also get into university. I have had the opportunity to mentor two people who went on to get places at Cambridge and Imperial. That was so heartwarming, especially where I have supported people from disadvantaged backgrounds. I would not say it is changing lives, but it is pushing people in the direction they want to go.