When I joined The Girls’ Network in 2015, I had no idea just how much it would change my life. I was an anxious and uncertain teenager, growing up in one of the most deprived boroughs in London, in a single-parent household, and without anyone in my family who had been to university. I had big dreams, but I wasn’t sure they were for someone like me. 

Being matched with a mentor changed that. She saw me - not just as a student with grades to earn, but as a young woman with potential, ideas, ambitions and a future worth investing in. She listened to my hopes and frustrations and gave me a safe space to explore who I wanted to become. She encouraged me to think big, take big steps and embrace big opportunities. She challenged the limits I put on myself and my thinking. She helped me believe that where I started did not define where I could go.

Through mentoring, doors that once felt closed began to open. My mentor helped me pursue political opportunities, including attending the centenary celebration of women’s suffrage in the House of Commons - surrounded by inspiring women leaders from around the world. She supported my growing interest in photography too. In 2021, while I was still studying, I was commissioned to photograph The Girls’ Network’s former CEO for a feature in Good Housekeeping UK - making me a published photographer. In 2023, I proudly graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences - achieving a goal I first whispered to my mentor almost a decade earlier.

The Girls’ Network gave me confidence, challenged my limited thinking, showed me the endless opportunities ahead, celebrated my gifts and pushed me forward, unlocking a mindset rooted in growth, resilience and belief. Because of this programme - and because someone believed in me - I now know I can become anything I want to be. 

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In their own words

Explore the real-life impact of our programmes through the voices of the young women we support: