An outstanding 16-year-old student from Newham, East London has become the first state-school pupil to win Eton's individual debating prize. Selina Begum, of Bangladeshi heritage, is truly an inspiration.
Living in a three-bedroom council flat with her parents, grandmother and younger brother, in a borough considered as being one of London's poorest, Selina truly excelled in the debate. She shared, “I started college this year and my teacher told me about the Eton debating competition. It took place in a new debating chamber that had been opened by Prince Charles and looked like a mock parliament. I had never debated at a private school before, so I was nervous, but when I walked in I saw that everyone looked just as nervous as me. When you debate, you are not being judged on the way you look or where you come from, but how you present yourself and the way you speak. No one is going to say: 'She is a Muslim, let's just mark her lower.'”
Her extended family came over to her house to celebrate her remarkable achievement. Surely, her outstanding win will inspire many Asian parents to encourage girls to fulfil their potential.
Talking about her future plans, Selina said, “In the future, I want to go to Oxford [university] to study history. I want to represent my community and go against all these stereotypes.”
