12/06/2026
"Keep going, keep becoming."
The words of Homerton student Jemimah Mensah (pictured centre), who beat the odds to graduate.
Jemimah dropped out of school aged 14 to help her mother run a catering business, the only source of family income in Ghana.
But she dreamed of more, and after returning to school, has now graduated with an MPhil in Education.
Jemimah said: "Cambridge has challenged me and strengthened my belief in education equity, and Homerton became a home that held me up every step of the way.
"To every first-generation student: keep going, keep becoming, and never doubt that you belong in every space that is meant for your growth and becoming."
Jemimah was one of three Ghanaian women who were at risk of dropping out of school who collected their Cambridge degrees. Also pictured are Francisca Arhinful (left) and Fadila Issah (right), who were attached to other colleges.
All three were supported through secondary school by Camfed, a Cambridge-founded charity working across sub-Saharan Africa to tackle poverty and inequality through girls' education. Their Cambridge studies were funded in full by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars' Program.
All three have trained as Camfed learner guides, peer mentors who deliver a life skills and wellbeing curriculum to young people in their communities, with a particular focus on keeping marginalised girls in school.
Homerton College, where Mensah was based during her studies, has a long-standing commitment to widening participation and access to Cambridge education across all backgrounds.
Camfed was founded in Cambridge and Zimbabwe and operates across Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya and Ghana.
