Exeter students shortlisted for national social mobility award

Four University of Exeter students have been shortlisted for the 2026 Student Social Mobility Awards, a national celebration of undergraduates who have overcome adversity to thrive at university and beyond.

Faysal Yusuf, Mia Taylor-Seal, Uashar Badakhshan, and Zohra Amin will be recognised at the eighth annual Student Social Mobility Awards on July 8, held at Drapers’ Hall in London.

They have been shortlisted in recognition of their resilience, determination, and achievement as students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Faysal, a third year Neuroscience student, faced numerous academic and financial barriers to attending university. Now in his third year he has completed an industrial placement year at GSK, supporting their global health work across different communities and countries. Reflecting on his journey so far, he said; “Representation is important because it shows young people from underrepresented backgrounds that they belong in these spaces too.”

Mia is a final year History student and Co-President of Exeter’s branch of the 93% Club, the largest network of state-educated students and professionals in Britain. She also founded her own podcast, A Seat at the Table, talking about class and educational inequality, and wrote her university dissertation on the experiences of working class students and those who are the first in their family to attend university. Mia said; “For a long time, I felt as though I had to choose between being a proud Black Country girl and being a university student. I now know that our roots and our routes can exist together.”

Uashar, a final year Medical student, has achieved among the highest grades of his cohort, received a prestigious Wellcome Trust Scholarship, and presented award-winning research on ethnic health inequalities internationally. He says he is “passionate about widening participation, mentorship and ensuring others from underrepresented backgrounds feel that careers like medicine are achievable for them too.”

Zohra has just finished her second year studying Law with Business. Alongside her degree, she volunteers as an academic mentor for first year students, and this summer, will be taking part in the prestigious Globalink Research Internship at the University of Ottawa, Canada, to study reproductive rights law. Zohra grew up in the UK after moving as a refugee from Afghanistan. She is passionate about the power of storytelling to raise awareness of issues around the world. Inspired by Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, she is writing her own novel about the experiences of women in Afghanistan, which has brought her interest from a literary agent. She 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.”

Faysal has been shortlisted for the Science Award, while Mia, Uashar and Zohra have been nominated for the Academic Success Award.

Organised by the award-winning social mobility charity, upReach, the awards recognise students who have excelled in their field and demonstrated great resilience, determination or initiative. The awards also showcase the outstanding work being done by mentors, employers, and universities to transform social mobility across the UK.

upReach CEO, Nick Bent, comments; “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.”