Victoria Oladele

The Hackney Schools’ Mentoring Programme (HSMP) enables students to explore their career passions and potential pathways, but for one former programme participant things have come full circle.

Victoria Oladele, a Year 10 student at Cardinal Pole School in 2004, is now studying for a degree in Social Work at Southampton University and is anticipating an upcoming graduation, has a distinct career goal – she wants to set up a mentoring programme of her own in her University town.

When Victoria joined HSMP she recalls that her ambition was to become a lawyer but her mentoring experiences helped identify that her true passion is working for the benefit of young people. Victoria notes how inspirational her mentor Anna, from a City of London law firm, was in making these discoveries: “Anna picked us up when we were feeling down and kept us focused and motivated. She was passionate and it was clear that she was great at her job. I really feel I was given the best possible mentor for me”.

When asked if mentoring made a difference Victoria is clear: “When I reflect back now I realise the impact it’s had. It was that additional spark of validation I received - the belief that I could go beyond what I initially thought I could achieve. I could go beyond GCSE’s and be what I wanted to be.”

It’s perhaps easily understandable, in light of Victoria’s positive experiences, why she’s so keen to set up a mentoring programme of her own and the HSMP team were delighted when they recently met with Victoria to share tips and advice. Victoria’s key message closely echoes the ethos of the Hackney Schools’ Mentoring Programme: “I want to run a project that works alongside business people and aids the development of life opportunities for young people”. But Victoria’s dreams don’t stop there. Where does she see herself eventually? “One day I’d like to run my own Academy and combine all the theory and practice I’ve learnt along the way.”