'When you have someone in your corner who believes in you, it makes a big difference.'

‘I grew up in a massive household, I have 10 siblings.  I am the middle child and mum did a great job bringing us up as a single parent,’ says Tareeque.

‘I wanted to study medicine because growing up no one asked me what I really wanted. I think a lot of people just assume children don’t know what they want and that is a false notion. I want to be the guy that listens to children and asks them ‘what do you want?’ and helps to give them a voice. I want to let children and young people know that if you work hard, with a bit of hard work and perseverance, you can escape the mold society wants to put you in.’

Tareeque was matched with his sponsors at The Smith Family when he was in primary school and they supported him up right up until he finished his undergraduate course. 

‘The Smith Family didn’t only give me the motivation to pursue my goals, it was also the fact someone looked past my background and believed in me enough to help me out. When you have someone in your corner who believes in you, it makes a big difference and not just in your academic life. For me, knowing someone believed in me, made me realise that it can actually happen.’