Imperial As One

Monday marks the end of Disability History Month, and we want to say a big thank you to our community for all your contributions and support. If you ever wondered what it's like to navigate life and work as a disabled colleague, here are some stories from our wonderful staff. Dive in here: https://ow.ly/4z7y50UqMA8

🛑 ATTENTION: UK-Based University Students of African and African Caribbean heritage Exciting news for university students of African and African Caribbean heritage studying in the UK! We are now accepting nominations for the 2025 Future Leaders magazine programme. Future Leaders annually showcases 150 of the UK's most exceptional black university students. If selected, after the nomination process, you'll be featured in the annual publication and have the opportunity to connect with top companies actively seeking interns and recent graduates via exclusive events and initiatives. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to fill out the nomination form at the link below, which outlines the criteria (which you must fit to be eligible). CRITERIA: For a student to qualify for the Future Leaders list they must be of African or African Caribbean heritage, 25 years-of-age or under, currently in university education (IN ANY YEAR) and currently on a 60 per cent or above grade average.   Alternatively, they should be doing a post-graduate degree, having already completed an undergraduate degree, in which they received at least a 2:1.   ALL nominees must also have at least 120 UCAS Points from a maximum of 3 A levels, or an IB or BTEC or agreed alternative). Extended project marks are not valid. In addition, please tag anyone who you think may be eligible in this post, and share within your relevant networks! Nomination form link: https://lnkd.in/eShiuP92 Please email info@powerful-media.com if any questions.

A real pleasure and honour to attend the Times Higher Education Awards with my brilliant colleagues Maxine Myers Dr Sarah Essilfie-Quaye Wayne A Mitchell Hayley Dunning and Ellie Cawthera. And as Max says, stay tuned for more exciting developments from our Imperial As One Media Academy in 2025! #THEAwards

Our Festival of Names event took place last week to launch Imperial As One’s "Say My Name" initiative: https://lnkd.in/e4v4ca4w Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to our discussion of the meaning of our names. Also thanks to speakers Professor Mary Ryan (Vice-Provost, Research and Enterprise & Imperial As One Executive Sponsor) and Dr Wayne A Mitchell (Associate Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), who talked about the importance of getting names right at Imperial.   "Say My Name" aims to help staff and students add the audio pronunciation of their name to their email signature (audio only for internal use). The initiative was led by IAO Committee Member, Desmond Samuel MBA, and funded by the EDI Seed Fund.   For more resources and instructions visit: https://lnkd.in/eeBVdWdQ

Mary lives with Sickle Cell Disease and is a passionate advocate for those living with the condition. “Raising awareness about living with Sickle Cell can help others facing similar challenges and demonstrate that it is possible to thrive in science while living with a disability.” Alongside Professor Julie Makani, a former Provost’s Visiting Professor, Mary co-founded the Sickle Cell Group, a platform for research, scientists and patients which facilitates various research projects. Find out more about Mary’s Sickle Cell advocacy work https://ow.ly/wNg150Uk2Y6

Excellent overview of the support available for our disabled staff and students today at the Disability Support Fair at Imperial College London hosted by Imperial's EDIC. Here are Aabida Patel and Elliann Fairbairn hosting the brilliant Able@Imperial stall.

📢 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲!!! 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 £𝟏 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. Anyone who has been following my work at Wellcome will know that I have spent lots of time exploring how Wellcome could better support the sustainability of Black-led initiatives advancing the careers of Black-heritage researchers. This work started with focus groups to hear the experiences of Black leaders in this space and where Wellcome could be useful. We heard there was a need for money, non-financial resources, training and community. We also heard that how support was delivered was just as important as what support was delivered, and who did this work mattered. From all of this, we learned that Wellcome was not best placed to do this alone. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫: Wellcome is seeking to contract a partner organisation to help us deliver up to £1 million in grants to the Black-led initiatives we want to support. The ideal organisations should: ◼️ Have experience in grant-giving. ◼️ Be able to fund flexibly to support both incorporated and unincorporated small initiatives. ◼️ Provide in addition to grant funding, other support that will aid the sustainability of these initiatives. ◼️ Have a demonstrable history of working with Black/racially minoritised communities. 𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤/𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. Please do share this opportunity with your network or someone you believe could do this work! The linked contract opportunity (request for proposal) provides full details about the opportunity and how to apply. Key dates: ◼️ Expression of interest and Q&A deadline: 11th December 2024 ◼️ RFP response deadline: 31st January 2025

Meet Yemi, a student ambassador at Imperial who defied the odds to make it here, despite being told he shouldn’t apply. Today, he’s studying Design Engineering and paving the way for others like him 💙 Yemi’s outreach work, particularly through the African Caribbean Society and the STEM Futures programme, has empowered countless students to follow in his footsteps. From leading school talks to organising an outreach conference for over 200 Year 12 students, Yemi is making sure that future generations have the support and courage to reach Imperial and beyond. “When I was applying, I was told I shouldn’t apply to Imperial because it’s very competitive,” Yemi reflects. “But I didn’t want anyone else to be discouraged. I want them to know they can achieve great things here.” Yemi’s story is a powerful reminder: believe in yourself, and you might just surprise everyone—even yourself. https://lnkd.in/eipvBKJC

Happy LGBTQ+ STEM Day to #OurImperial community 🌈 Today, we recognize and honor the invaluable contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM fields. Thank you for driving innovation, courage, and inclusion in research and discovery. Here’s to diversity and progress in STEM👩🔬👨🔬💫

Meet Comfort, a third year Medical student and Imperial College Union’s Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Officer. Comfort Oluwakoya embodies her name: she upholds trust and care with conviction, and holds space for her BME peers. Knowing that she wanted to stay in London, Comfort chose Imperial because of its reputation, being a STEMB university and its modern medicine curriculum. “I am passionate about social mobility and upholding Black voices. A lot of times I walk into a room, and I am the only Black person in there, and I just think if I wasn’t here, who would be? I want Black and minority ethnic students to know that they belong at Imperial and that there’s a place here for them.” Find out more ⬇️ https://ow.ly/LLHB50U5Elv