Grace Dickinson’s path to the University of Cambridge as a first generation student was paved by the support she received from access initiatives such as AimHigher. These programmes instilled in Grace a self-belief to pursue her ambition and has had a transformative impact on her educational and career outcomes. Grace has worked in widening participation initiatives in her roles across a range of UK universities. At Cambridge, Grace led access initiatives in state schools across the north of England, working with students and their teachers to guide them through selective university admissions. With a team of like-minded, mission-driven colleagues, Grace launched a new summer school programme for post-16 students from low income neighborhoods.

Grace has built expertise in international student recruitment to the UK, having managed recruitment from South Asia at the University of York and from Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe at Teesside University. Selected as a Chevening Scholarship reader in 2020, Grace assessed applications from the Middle East. Now a Senior Campaign Manager at BridgeU, Grace uses her expertise to empower international students to make informed decisions about their university and course options. Across these roles, Grace has developed a deep understanding of the challenges facing high-achieving, low-income international students and insights into selective university admissions criteria which she brings to Second Chance.