Alumna Vee Kativhu (Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, 2017) features in the BBC’s recently-released list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2023.
Vee is in good company on the list, which also features former US First Lady Michelle Obama, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, Ballon d'Or-winning footballer Aitana Bonmatí, and feminist icon Gloria Steinem.
Featured in the Culture and Education section, Vee is recognised for the impact of her YouTube Channel, which she started when she was a student at LMH to demystify student life at Oxford. She now uses the channel to share her experiences and tips as she studies for her PhD in Educational Leadership at Claremont Graduate University in California.
A passionate advocate for access to education, Vee launched her own academic empowerment organisation, Empowered by Vee, in 2018 while she was still a student at LMH. This year’s Empowered by Vee conference, which brought together over 100 underrepresented or unsupported 16-18 year olds for a day of free workshops and talks, was hosted at LMH.
Vee explained what is means to her to be featured on the BBC 100 Women List, saying: “I’ve grown up reading about this list and can’t believe I’m on it, next to some big game changers. When I began this journey of advocacy I was just angry at the treatment that those from under-privileged or underrepresented backgrounds received, and especially the gender inequalities within education and how many people were being left behind. I never in a million years thought it would lead to all of these things, or to awards from the BBC!”
Anyone who wants to get involved with the work being done by Empowered by Vee can get in touch via: vee@empoweredbyvee.com.