Northern Irish | Belizean
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I was born in the UK. I grew up in Hackney, East London. Although it was one of the poorer boroughs of London, we were incredibly rich in cultural diversity. Everyone was from everywhere, so I didn’t particularly feel out of place. I recognised I was mixed-race in primary school. My classmates asked me questions about my heritage, trying to figure out my ethnicity, and decided it meant I was ‘quarter caste’ (quarter Black). I thought it was weird to be called ‘quarter’ of something, and why was it the Black side of my family that was the ‘caste’ side? It wasn’t until I was older, when I read John Agard’s poem ‘half caste’, that I gained a better understanding of why this term is problematic. I worked for several years as a postdoctoral researcher (Psychology/Computer Science). I remember attending a lecture about the lack of Black professors in academia and feeling emotional as the speaker introduced herself. It was the first time I had seen a Black female professor give a lecture at my university and her talk was very inspiring. It made me realise just how much representation matters and it motivated me, as a mixed-race researcher, to try my best to inspire others too. During my remaining years as a postdoc, I volunteered for various public engagement events, encouraging students from different backgrounds to consider careers in research, saying ‘If I can do it, you can too!’. Although I decided in the end that being a lecturer wasn’t the right path for me, I still feel incredibly proud of all that I achieved in my academic career, and all the students that I encouraged and supported along the way. In my current role (Academic Services), I work on various projects related to improving students’ experiences and helping them achieve their potential. If I was born again I would want to return again as me and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m proud of my heritage and I believe that our experiences, good and bad, shape us into the people we are today.
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