Crafted by Black academics specifically for Black students, the ASPIRE programme focuses on fostering health, well-being, and empathetic dialogues to enhance the self-assurance of Black and Mixed-Black heritage students aspiring for doctoral studies.
ASPIRE has mentored 59 Black students across three cohorts since its inception in 2021 with 15 successfully securing fully funded PhD programmes, the largest progression in the sector for Black students.
The celebration event brought together University senior-leadership, colleagues and industry leaders, as well as scholars from the ASPIRE programme.
Professor Liz Mossop, Vice Chancellor, Sheffield Hallam University, said: “It was an honour to speak at the ASPIRE celebration. It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on ASPIRE's success in restoring a talent pipeline for black and black heritage students in research and to acknowledge the positive cultural shifts the programme has sparked not just at Sheffield Hallam University but across the sector. While the event marked the end of the current funding cycle for ASPIRE, I look forward to watching the legacy of this innovative programme unfold in the years to come."
The project is led by Dr Francis Awolowo, a Senior Lecturer in Financial and Management Accounting. Following his experiences and learnings from the programme, Francis published Breaking Barriers to Doctoral Education: The ASPIRE Model for Equity and Racial Justice, which hopes to capture the story, spirit, and transformational impact of the ASPIRE Programme.
Dr Francis Awolowo, said: “ASPIRE is proof that when people are truly seen, supported, and believed in, they do not just succeed, they transform the world around them. It has been the greatest honour of my life to lead such an incredible programme and witness the lives it has changed. This moment is not an ending, but the beginning of a movement. ASPIRE was never just a programme; it is a promise, and that promise continues”.
Lillian Maguire, ASPIRE Scholar, said: “As a sociologist, I believe ASPIRE’s most significant achievement is the broader institutional challenge to the status quo. The status quo is entrenched; we need more practical ways to challenge it. The word "community" is bandied around, but this programme is a brilliant example of self-determination. It recognises that while meritocracy is romantic, equity is its practical counterpart.”
Jerome Smith, ASPIRE Scholar, said: “ASPIRE gave me the confidence to believe that the goals I once thought were beyond my reach were not only possible, but truly mine to achieve”
