Diagnosed with autism at a young age, school wasn’t easy for George:
“I fought the teachers every day and found it hard to connect with my school peers. It was only thanks to the insistence of an influential teacher that I wasn’t sent to a Pupil Referral Unit, and stayed in mainstream education.”
That belief helped George to realise he could aspire to more. He began to focus on his education and work on his behaviour. George eventually left sixth form with the grades required to come to Leeds – which would bring a fresh set of challenges:
“I was worried about settling into Leeds and how I would support myself. My dad’s a bus driver and my mum is disabled, so the financial burden was something I was going to have to shoulder myself.”
Things changed when George was awarded a scholarship:
“The scholarship enabled me to cope financially and allowed me to focus on making a positive start to student life and my studies. I was able to pursue opportunities, such as volunteering in Armley Prison.”
“The fact that others believed in me enough to back me financially gave me an incredible level of confidence – and for that I’m forever in their debt.”
“In my younger years I fought because I was angry and confused. Now I fight to give hope and inspiration to allow others their fundamental right to education and the opportunities they deserve.”
Want to support more students like George?
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