Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are four times more likely to become socially mobile and achieve higher earnings if they attend university, according to The Access Project.
But for many disadvantaged students, they lack the belief that this mobility into selective universities and higher education is possible. Yet Ras.I Martin, an Oxford graduate who lived below the poverty line, thought the idea of himself going to a selective university was audacious. He is proof, like many before him, that hard work and dedication, when met with support, care and belief systems, can lead to brilliant futures.
The Access Projects’ Director of Fundraising and Communications, Sam Davies, recently spoke at The Supporting Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education Conference 2026. He was joined in his session by Ras.I Martin, an alumni of The Access Project and Founder & CEO Fireside 123. Together they explored interventions to address the access gap into selective universities and how The Access Project supports under-resourced young people to access top universities through unique mentorship programmes, skills and coaching and tuition. It’s about giving driven, hard working young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to receive support and guidance in how to go to top universities.
In Sam’s experience, attending university improves social mobility and improves earnings. It allows for better general health, increased community engagement and wider life opportunities. You can understand why The Access Project strives to help the country’s most under-resourced young people. That belief in education as a driver of social mobility sits at the heart of their work.
Closing The Access Gap
The Access Project works with young people living in areas of high deprivation, many of whom are eligible for free school meals or pupil premium support. A significant number are care-experienced or care leavers. The focus is simple: direct support where need is greatest and where the gap in university participation is widest.
Sam highlighted that helping young people access higher education requires much more than just improving grades. At the centre of The Access Project is one-to-one mentoring. Through dedicated university access officers, students receive personalised guidance that complements the support they already receive from teachers and families. They gain practical advice on university applications, student finance, interviews and, increasingly, what it takes to thrive once they arrive on campus.
“We know that students from under-resourced backgrounds, particularly if they’re the first to go to university, don’t necessarily have the shared experience that they can have from their parents or their peers to understand what’s in store for them. And actually, part of our job is to make sure that once our young people get to university, they stay there and make a success of it.” – Sam Davies
The Access Project also prides itself on the skills coaching and enrichment activities it provides. Volunteers from corporate partners and other organisations bring valuable perspectives and experiences to the young people in the programme. It helps to develop confidence, communication skills and resilience. These lessons will serve them throughout university and beyond – and not just in their studies.
Looking at university as simply an educational endeavour is one dimensional. University is where many young people develop into adults. You don’t just learn in lectures, you learn how to care for yourself, how to budget, how to cook and socialise. The soft skills developed in the enrichment activities provided by The Access Project are invaluable for young people.
The pressures on students has never been higher. Whether its achieving the right grades, managing finances at university or the unpredictable job market that awaits them, student mental health is one of the most urgent and important conversations around education. The Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference 2026 will examine the latest government initiatives tackling the rising challenge of student mental health. It highlights practical solutions for delivering effective support and offers clear guidance on next steps to strengthen student support pathways.
A Real Example – Ras.I Martin’s Story
Students from under-resourced backgrounds are three times less likely to attend a top university. Yet, compared with a UCAS control group, students supported through The Access Project are 50% more likely to secure places at highly selective institutions. Sam was proud to introduce us to Ras.I Martin, an alumni from The Access Project who has thrived since attending the programme.
“I wanted to dream bigger, but I didn’t know how.” – Ras.I Martin
Today, Ras.I Martin is the CEO and co-founder of sales technology company Fireside. He graduated from the University of Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lady Margaret Hall.
But his journey started very differently. At the age of two, he and his mother fled domestic violence. Much of his early childhood was spent in homelessness and temporary accommodation. They moved from place to place across London, often uncertain about where the next meal would come from or where they would sleep.
By the time he reached secondary school, his family had moved more than thirteen times. Although housing eventually became more stable, poverty remained a constant reality. While preparing for GCSEs, Ras.I recalls:
“I was coming home to no electricity or having to find ways to use newspapers for toiletries, and then heading back to school the next day with holes in my shoes the size of two pence coins.” – Ras.I Martin
His school, where nearly half of students were eligible for free school meals, was filled with others facing similar challenges. Teachers worked tirelessly, but with classes of thirty or more pupils, there was only so much support available. His mother, raising him alone while managing her own trauma and financial pressures, was doing everything she could. Despite the challenges, Ras.I wanted to succeed. His school simply couldn’t accommodate this support.
Everything changed when he joined The Access Project in Year 11. For the first time, he had access to dedicated support and the resources needed to maximise his potential. More importantly, he had people who believed in him.
His university access officer was the first person to suggest that Oxford could be a realistic option. At every stage of his GCSEs and A-levels, there was someone encouraging him to think beyond the limits of his circumstances and embrace what he calls “the spirit of audacity”.
This is such a powerful idea – audacity. To Ras.I Martin, the idea that he could go to a school like Oxford, one of the most selective universities in the world, was simply audacious. It was when his motivation and ability was ignited by The Access Project that he realised – he had the potential to reach the heights he once thought impossible.
“At every twist and turn through my GCSEs and A-level, I had someone in my corner believing in me and supporting me, telling me to take up the spirit of audacity and to dream bigger” – Ras.I Martin
That belief was further reinforced through mentoring. The Access Project’s partnership network, matched Ras.I with Paul Tapper from Rothschild. Paul was the first in his own family to attend university and went on to become Head of Portfolio Management for Europe at Rothschild. It showed Ras.I something powerful – this success was possible.
The partnership network provided Ras.I with real-life evidence that people can carve themselves a future from nothing. It highlights the importance of these partnerships and mentoring, you can tell someone time and time again that something is possible, but seeing it first hand gives young people like Ras.I the faith that this is actually possible.
That combination of practical support and belief created something transformational within Ras.I. Confidence. Or, as Ras.I describes it, audacity.
That same audacity led him to apply to Oxford and study PPE. It inspired him to seek experiences beyond academia, including shadowing former Defence Minister Harriet Baldwin and participating in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Later, he became the UK’s sole representative for under-30s at the Commonwealth Youth Parliament and went on to found the Commonwealth Youth Participation Committee. At just 21 years old, he successfully ran for election as a governor of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, becoming one of the youngest governors in NHS history. From that platform, he championed conversations around racial health inequalities and national healthcare issues.
Yet he is quick to reject the idea that his achievements are simply the product of individual merit.
“The painful reality is that there are people who are more deserving than me to have come this far, yet they weren’t as fortunate. For others, there wasn’t the same investment, the support to develop them academically and impart a spirit of audacity which fuels self-belief, and no help to navigate systems which were not designed for them” – Ras.I Martin
Ras.I Martin’s story is a powerful one. When motivation and ability receive the right fuel, they catalyse into truly incredible results. The Access Project prides itself on the story of Ras.I Martin and many more like him who they have helped. How many more people are out there that have the potential that Ras.I had? How can we help provide them with the means to flourish?
Investing Early Changes Everything
One of the key messages of Ras.I Martin and Sam Davies during their session was how early intervention can transform young people and their goals in life. When we invest early in young people, their perception of themselves changes.
That time around the ages of 16-20 are some of the most formative years of a person’s life. If we can provide more support, more intervention and guidance, we can help drive more young people to have audacity. To work towards something that they themselves never thought would be possible. This is what drives the heart of The Access Project – helping young people to realise their true potential.
There are countless young people out there like Ras.I Martin who have this hunger to excel, but without support, it can be difficult for this success to be realised. Through mentorship, guidance and most importantly, belief, young people can surprise even themselves with the audacity at which they achieve their dreams.
We’d like to thank Sam Davies and Ras.I Martin for their attendance at the Supporting Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education Conference 2026. Their session was truly inspirational and one of many brilliant discussions on the day. You can find out about The Access Project here. Interested in listening to the whole conference? We are pleased to offer it On Demand.
The Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference will explore why a multi-agency reformed approach is crucial to confront student mental health challenges and prioritise effective care pathways from early intervention to crisis. Follow the link below to find out more about this important conversation.