Student ‘overwhelmed’ after becoming first in her family to attend university
Sanjeeda Patel said her parents, originally from India, are ‘so proud’ of their daughter after securing a spot at the University of Manchester.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A student from Leicester said she was “overwhelmed with happiness” after getting the A-level results that confirmed she will be the first in her family to go to university.
Sanjeeda Patel, 18, said her parents are from India and did not get the chance to have a “good education”.
After securing a spot at the University of Manchester to study education, Sanjeeda said her family is “so proud” to see her hard work pay off – after a small prank from her brother.
“They believe I’ll get far in life, which makes me feel so appreciated,” she told the PA news agency.
“My brother was the first one to see my results and had initially lied about my grades, sending me halfway into a cardiac arrest.
“But once he told me my actual grades, I was overwhelmed with happiness with the prospect of finally going to the university I sought for.”
Sanjeeda posted a tweet with a picture of her confirmed place at Manchester, writing: “First one in my entire family tree to go to university.”
She said: “Something my mum always used to tell me was she wished she got a proper education and always thinks about all the careers she could’ve taken on.
“Since I was born in England, I was blessed to have a great opportunity for an education and I enjoyed learning.”
Sanjeeda said getting the opportunity to tutor a child while studying was a “catalyst” in her passion for education.
“It was very satisfying to witness a child understand a concept you taught them… I slowly then fell in love with teaching others.
“I wanted to then pursue my career involving teaching whilst upholding the process of learning as well.”
While her parents are proud, Sanjeeda admitted they are “a little reluctant” to see their daughter move away to study.
“But my brother really encouraged me to go for it,” she said.
“They recognised how I will be the first one to go to university in our family and being a female achieving that made my mum that much more proud.”