Denzel Donkor (Education 2022) has an important life message learned through lived experience.

“Don’t underestimate yourself – the sky is the limit,” he says.

“A lot of students don’t recognise that, especially if you grew up in a place where there’s a glass ceiling. You’re a product of your environment. Sometimes you need to remove yourself from it.”

Denzel did just that following his Covid-disrupted GCSEs. Having attended Bishop’s Stopford’s School in Enfield for secondary school, Denzel knew he wanted to move area for his A-Levels.

“I was so used to my area that I wanted to explore somewhere else. A 10-minute bus ride wasn’t enough,” he adds.

He applied to sixth forms in east and south London, but it was only on GCSE results day that he secured his place at Brampton Manor Academy. Brampton, in a link area for Gonville & Caius College, has established a well-deserved reputation for university admissions.

Denzel took A-Levels in English Literature, Politics, Economics and History. He had to stop History when he left his notes on the bus.

It was at Brampton he was encouraged to apply to Cambridge – and he has a simple message for anyone contemplating their university application.

He says: “Take a gamble. I’m someone that’s a risk taker. I wouldn’t say I don’t think about the consequences but they’re an afterthought.

“What could I lose? No-one’s going to ask me in 10 years’ time, 'who rejected you on your UCAS form?' No-one cares about that!”

It was only at his interview in December 2021 that Denzel realised the University of Cambridge was a place where he would be happy.

He says: “That’s when I met my Director of Studies and the conversation we had was so interesting I forgot it was an interview. I thought ‘wow!’

“It gave me the motivation to strive to get into Cambridge. I had nothing to lose.”

Take a gamble. No-one’s going to ask me in 10 years’ time, 'who rejected you on your UCAS form?' No-one cares about that!

Denzel makes the comparison to aspiring footballers – and knows by the experience of friends and a sibling who are in the age-group system at Premier League clubs.

“I’m an academy baller, but in my education. I put all the effort I could’ve put into football into my academics,” he adds.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve always had the academic potential. I’ve worked hard enough to get to the places I need to be.”

Studying Education, Policy and International Development, Denzel uses his secondary school experiences, where some classmates’ only daily meal was their school lunch. Attendance was sporadic at times and behaviour was a challenge.

He says: “Going to school in an area like that, there’s a lot of things that change your perspective on the way life is.

“The best thing was the sense of community. Football was a big thing in my school – break time, lunchtime, after school. Sometimes my mum used to drag me out of school at 7pm because I was still playing football! I did athletics as well.

“When it comes to my degree, I use my experiences to stand out. When I’m applying things contextually, it’s in a completely different way. Most people won’t have gone to a school like the one I went to.”

Denzel knew of the opportunities provided by education, as his father went to university in Sweden. Choosing your own direction, instead of it being dictated by peers, is fundamental.

Denzel says: “Having a support network is number one. When you don’t have that, you keep things bottled up.

“Stay true to yourself. If you have basic principles you can always discern between right and wrong.

“Have an escape. I had football.

“You have to put yourself first. There’s always a way out – unless you’re too deep into it.”

Denzel is leading by example as an access officer for the Cambridge University African Caribbean Society (ACS), which has over 850 members.

He adds: “It’s a home away from home because it’s a cultural society. You meet people you can relate to, from similar backgrounds. The events are good too.”

Denzel and his fellow access officer, Wahida, in September took on a ‘northern tour’, travelling to Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds across three days, meeting prospective students to answer their questions.

“Doing access you’re shaping people’s lives,” he adds.

“I told them: when you do come to Cambridge, there are people like you here. They asked if there are many Black northerners or if we were all Londoners!

“And there are Black northerners, but one thing I’ve realised about Cambridge is most of the time you don’t know where people are from.”

Football has been a constant in Denzel’s life and he enjoyed playing with the Caius firsts last season. This year he is keen to take part in college rugby and University athletics.

There is a stereotypical Cambridge pastime he is determined to try soon too.

“I need to do rowing before I leave,” he says. “There’s a lot of things I need to try that I haven’t tried yet.”