The Access Project alumnus makes Top 10 Future Leaders list
Former The Access Project student and recent University of Oxford graduate Ras.I Martin is making waves as one of the UK’s top ten future leaders of 2025.
Powerful Media’s Future Leaders — an annual publication celebrating 150 outstanding Black university students in the UK — features Ras.I as one of the most inspiring young leaders of the year. The publication aims to inspire young people, spotlighting role models to encourage students to aim high in education and beyond.
In 2024, Ras.I graduated from Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, with a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. His recognition in this year’s Future Leaders publication highlights his role as the UK’s sole delegate to the Commonwealth Youth Parliament, as well as his position as Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s youngest and only Black Governor.
Future Leaders: Ras.I Martin’s journey with The Access Project
Ras.I studied with The Access Project from 2016 – 2019. He faced extreme hardship throughout his early life, moving between shelters while his family relied on food banks and he attended school with holes in his shoes.
“There were issues I was facing at that time that were far more pressing”, he told us. “I was feeling the full weight of poverty, even as a child, and dealing with the constant threat of violence as a young Black man living in inner city London.”
Ras.I credits The Access Project for helping him understand his potential and giving him the confidence to dream big.
He said: “This path that I’ve been on for the past couple of years all started with these voices in my lives to push to become a better version of myself, which instilled in me that I can truly become anything I want to become.
“For this journey that I’m on now, I can unequivocally say that it would not have been possible without The Access Project”.
Reflecting on his journey at the University of Oxford, Ras.I said: “At first, I saw Oxford as this untouchable, elite space where people like me didn’t belong. But once I got here, I realised that wasn’t the case at all. There were so many people from backgrounds like mine, and even those who weren’t had more in common with me than I expected.
“Be bold and apply. Too many of my friends didn’t even take the chance because they thought they weren’t ‘good enough.’ But after coming here, I know they would have thrived—just like I did—if they had just taken that leap of faith”.
The Access Project: Breaking barriers to education
The Access Project helps young people from under-resourced backgrounds achieve their academic potential and place at top universities. By donating to our programme or volunteering with us, you’re helping the country’s most under-resourced young people find their way to a brighter future.