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UCL student wins two Social Mobility Awards

2 August 2024

Engineering student Ali Issa has won the Outstanding Achievement Award and the Tech Sector Award at the sixth annual Student Social Mobility Awards, for overcoming adversity and achieving exceptional accomplishments in his studies and beyond.

Ali Issa wins Student Mobility awards

Ali, who recently graduated with First Class honours from UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering, grew up in a Lebanese refugee camp where he was educated in United Nations-funded schools. After arriving in the UK as an unaccompanied minor asylum seeker at the age of 15, Ali flourished academically, eventually winning a place at UCL to study electronic engineering.  

As a UCL student, Ali has focused on using technology to address global challenges and improve the lives of those in underserved communities. 

The Student Social Mobility Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, as well as the work being done by individuals and organisations to transform social mobility in the UK. 

This year saw a record number of nominations for the Awards, with 349 nominees from 41 universities. Of the nominees, 68% were the first in their families to go into higher education, 61% were eligible for free school meals and 15% have had caregiving responsibilities or were previously in care.  

At an awards ceremony hosted at London’s Manor House, Ali won both the Outstanding Achievement Award, which celebrates the student scoring the highest overall during the judging process, and the Tech Sector Award, which recognises outstanding achievements in the sector while at university. 

Ali said: “For me this award symbolises the resilience and determination that have driven me from a refugee camp in Lebanon to a prestigious UK university. This achievement affirms the value of perseverance and hard work, reinforcing my belief that overcoming adversity is possible with dedication and support. 

“Growing up in such a challenging environment has deeply influenced my approach to my future career. It reinforced my commitment to using technology to address global challenges and improve lives, particularly for those in underserved communities. My work on projects like the EU's NESTLER project, which aims to enhance food security in Africa, and my internship at Microsoft, focusing on AI technologies, are direct reflections of this commitment. 

“These experiences have shaped my aspirations to drive innovation and make a meaningful impact through technology, underscoring the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and the transformative power of education in achieving personal and professional success.” 

Ali will continue his studies at UCL in October, when he begins a PhD in Machine Learning and Pharmacometrics at the UCL Institute of Global Health and GSK. His focus will be on using machine learning to make the drug development process more efficient. 

upReach, the social mobility charity behind the Awards, supports undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds to access and sustain top graduate jobs. They provide personalised 1-to-1 support to 3,000 students from across the UK.  

Nick Bent, CEO of upReach, said: “Amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis, events like the Student Social Mobility Awards take on even greater significance following the recent general election.  

“These awards highlighted the incredible journeys of those who, despite times of economic adversity, have triumphed over significant obstacles to succeed. Their stories inspired guests and will continue to inspire future generations. It has been an honour to have celebrated the individuals and organisations dedicated to improving social mobility throughout the UK. Their stories serve as a beacon of hope for the future of social mobility.” 

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  • Credit: upReach.

Media contact 

Dr Matt Midgley

E: m.midgley [at] ucl.ac.uk