What person (real or fictional) or artistic work has had the biggest impact on your life? Why?

Ultimately in accordance with my aim to break down walls so the next generations of people will not have to scale such walls, the person who has indeed had the biggest impact on my life was Malcolm X. A man similar to me in many ways who sacrificed his livelihood for a cause, which has educated and allowed the likes of me to make a change within the justice system and wider society. Racial disparity in sentencing is an issue prevalent in our justice system, and I take it upon my shoulders to solve such issue. Malcolm gave me heightened consciousness of injustice, race and infringement of rights which is fundamental to my successes and level of intellect at present.

This path I walk on in law is due to the empowerment of Malcolm's life, words and work. The race consciousness that he awakened within me has allowed me to clearly see the injustices which occur in this world and the desire to address these issues. This brings me on to my next point. With heightened consciousness of injustice and infringement of rights my interest in human rights law really sparked after a stop and search during which a policeman asked what my "gang/street name" was and laughed at me along with his six colleagues. I initially thought it was just a joke, however, I was shocked to discover when researching on the legality of the policemen's conduct as a result of heightened consciousness of injustice and infringement of rights, that this was a violation of my legal rights of freedom from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. To understand whether or not my rights were infringed, I read into rights in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Learning about the Hohfeldian Analytical system and the theory of jural relations allowed me to grasp the concept of corresponding duties to rights and rectified my conceptual error of confusing them with liberties. Through reading The Lammy Review, I became aware of the racial disparity in the sentencing of BAME defendants compared to their white counterparts. After interviewing Lord Leggatt, I gained insight into the discretionary decisions made by judges and how unintentional unconscious bias contribute to racial disparities in sentencing. As a result, I began researching sentencing policy and laws and was intrigued by the slip rule, as demonstrated in the R v Maxwell case. The slip rule may not be reliable in ensuring fair and proportionate sentencing due to the higher cost of legal aid in the prolonged legal process, and given the socioeconomic issues affecting a large portion of the black community, many errors in sentencing go unnoticed and uncorrected. I believe stricter sentencing policies and laws are required to ensure these discretionary decisions are made in a more proportionate manner, regardless of race. I look forward to critically analysing criminal law and sentencing at university.

The domino effect, the rabbit hole which I proceeded to delve into, was only possible with heightened consciousness of injustice, race and infringement of rights.

During my studies, I hope to develop apex legal skills and knowledge through numerous Pro Bono cases and a training contract putting me on a path to becoming a solicitor at a prestigious international law firm. Currently, I have in mind cooperate law where I will be at the center stage of deals, connecting with some of the most influential people in the world and allowing me to develop transferable skills. During this stage of my career, I will take Pro-Bono cases hoping to make rippling constitutional and wider social change granting the highest quality of legal aid to deliver justice for the international community and trailblazing a path for younger prospective lawyers who look like me and come from similar backgrounds. Following this an inevitable transition in my career where I aim to create a pro-Bono organization partnering with some of the biggest law firms, lawyers, and companies who i had connected with previously during my time as a cooperate lawyer as well as international human rights cases. In the end, I hope to ensure fair sentencing for all people regardless of race, a community who have trust in the law, and a world where human rights not willingly trampled upon by states, organizations, and people.

What would winning a Crowd Scholar scholarship mean to you?

I came from a low socio-economic background where my path to university isn't as simple in comparison to others. The excruciating amount of struggle, I have endured so far in my life has all been in pursuit of the best level of education getting me to a place in life where such struggle is not as prevalent. On the other hand, notably in places such as Newham where I live, far too often many young people fall into despair, searching for success and financial relief in ways that are immoral and unjust. I will not be of such. The Crowd Scholarship will certainly relive me of the pain of asking my parents, barely managing themselves to bear the burden of university expenses. An inadequate financial position is a barrier in university to achieving my full potential. Worrying about how I’d eat an adequate and nutritional lunch and dinner every day, how I'd purchase textbooks and stationery, how I'd balance a part-time job with my studies? The benefits of not having such worries are evident, psychologically and physically allowing for optimal performance and concentration in my studies and participation in wider opportunities throughout which would mean the world to me.

Khadim is currently studying History, Politics and Psychology at the London Academy of Excellence (LAE). Khadim is an exceptional student. I had the pleasure of supporting him during his recent application to university. Khadim has faced considerable adversity during his academic career, however he has consistently risen to the challenge, employing his characteristic resilience and grit. Growing up as a young black male in Newham, Khadim has encountered injustice in his life, but has also witnessed the scourge of racism impact his peers. Khadim’s motivation for studying law stems from his commitment for change, and I am confident that with this financial support Khadim will be given the tools necessary to actuate it. Khadim has already made great headway in pursuit of his goals, meeting with Supreme Court Justice, Justic Leggatt, discussing unconscious bias and representation in the UK legal system. He has engaged with law in an academic and professional sense, working with firms such as Clifford Chance and Linklaters. Khadim applies himself fully to each respective task, and I am confident that he would not only utilise the funding appropriately, but also become an effective ambassador for Crowd Scholar, and it’s aims. To that end, Khadim embodies the values and social mission of the organisation, and would be a perfect candidate for the funding. Khadim regularly achieves A and A* grades, with his submissions in Politics used as exemplar work for the year below. As a student, Khadim sets a fantastic example to his peers, working intently in the library to complete tasks and meet his goals. This sentiment is echoed by his psychology teacher, who reflected in his recent report that “his subject knowledge and writing skills are confident, testament to his disciplined consolidation of taught material following lessons”. This scholarship would transform Khadim’s experience at university, easing financial impediments and allowing him to focus on his true passion: academia. I have taught many students in my career, following their development, and encouraging their progress. I can say without reservation that working with Khadim has been career affirming, and I endorse this application unreservedly.