Student from West Drayton wins social mobility award

Ellie Nicholl (she/her) is senior content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net

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On 8 July 2026, University of Exeter student Zohra Amin, who grew up in West Drayton, was recognised at the eighth annual Student Social Mobility Awards.

Run by social mobility charity upReach, the awards recognise individuals and organisations working to improve social mobility and widen access to competitive careers. They celebrate students who have excelled in their chosen fields while overcoming significant challenges along the way. Following her accomplishments at university, Zohra received the Academic Success Award.

Born in Afghanistan, Zohra arrived in the UK as a child refugee with her family and grew up in West Drayton. Her experiences have shaped both her academic ambitions and her advocacy for girls growing up in Afghanistan.

The first person in her family to attend university, Zohra didn’t initially consider a legal career. She credits her teachers with encouraging her to apply to higher education, helping with her personal statement and answering questions about university life.

Zohra is studying Law with Business at the University of Exeter and has completed her second year. Alongside her studies, she works part time at the Co-op and volunteers as an academic mentor for first-year students. This summer, she’ll take part in the Globalink Research Internship at the University of Ottawa in Canada.

Alongside her studies, Zohra has taken part in a range of extracurricular activities. She has shadowed an MP in the House of Commons and represented the University of Exeter at the Global Leaders Experience in The Hague and Brussels. During the programme, she spent time at the Peace Palace, home to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Zohra is also interested in the role storytelling can play in raising awareness of global issues. Inspired by Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, she is writing a novel about the experiences of women and girls in Afghanistan. The project has already attracted interest from a literary agent. Speaking about the novel, Zohra said: “My female cousins back home are not allowed to read past primary school. I am writing the novel they will never be allowed to read.”

Having overcome significant challenges on her path to university, Zohra hopes her experiences will encourage other young people from similar backgrounds to pursue their ambitions. Offering advice to students growing up in West Drayton, she said: “Ask. Ask the careers advisor what a vacation scheme is. Ask the tired teacher which universities they would apply to in your position. Ask strangers on LinkedIn in jobs you want for fifteen minutes of their time. The most expensive habit a first-generation student has is silence.”

While access to higher education has improved for students from working-class backgrounds, research suggests that unequal outcomes can persist after graduation. According to upReach, working-class students are less likely to complete internships and less likely to secure highly skilled graduate roles than their more advantaged peers, even when they achieve strong academic results.

upReach currently provides personalised one-to-one career support to 3,200 students, including more than 1,300 in Greater London. upReach CEO Nick Bent commented: “Talent is everywhere, but young people are often held back by things outside of their control. Now more than ever, it is imperative to uplift those who have worked tirelessly to succeed, and who are bringing new life to social mobility in the UK.”

The 2026 awards have been supported by:

• Bank of America;
• Slaughter and May;
• the Royal Academy of Engineering;
• G-Research; and
• iQ Student Accommodation.

The sponsors funded the awards ceremony and enabled nominees from across the UK to attend by covering their travel and accommodation expenses. The event was held at Drapers' Hall in London.