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Joe Seddon

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Joe Seddon
Seddon in London, 2020
Born
Joseph Seddon

(1997-06-04) 4 June 1997 (age 27)
Leeds, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
EducationUniversity of Oxford
OccupationCEO
Known forSocial entrepreneurship

Joe Seddon (born 4 June 1997) is the founder of Zero Gravity, a social enterprise which connects students with mentors, universities and employers.[1]

Early life

Seddon was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire in June 1997. He was raised in Morley, West Yorkshire by his mother, Catherine, who works as a speech and language therapist in the National Health Service.[2]

He was educated at Heckmondwike Grammar School, a state school in Kirklees, West Yorkshire.[3] In his later years at school, he was involved in competitive debating, where he qualified to trial for England's National Debating Team.[4]

After leaving school, Seddon read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Mansfield College, Oxford, graduating with first class honours.[5] During university, he was an occasional contributor to the education section of The Daily Telegraph, where he wrote articles about Britain's higher education system.[6]

Career

Zero Gravity

Upon graduating from the University of Oxford, Seddon founded Access Oxbridge,[7] a mobile app which connects Year 12 and 13 students from low-income backgrounds with undergraduate mentors studying at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.[8] The mentoring sessions take place in weekly hour-long video calls via the app.[9] He initially funded the initiative from the remnants of his university maintenance grant.[10]

In its first year of operation, 110 low-income students mentored on the app achieved offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge.[11][12] In October 2019, Seddon was awarded the Prime Minister's Points of Light award for social impact in education.[13]

In May 2020, Seddon re-branded Access Oxbridge as Zero Gravity, a social enterprise which connects students from low-income backgrounds with undergraduate mentors studying at both Oxbridge and Russell Group universities.[14][15][16][17][18]

In 2020, over 1000 students mentored by Zero Gravity achieved offers to study at Russell Group universities, including 151 students who achieved offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge.[19][20] In June 2021, Seddon received the Diana Award for his work in the social mobility sector.[21]

Advocacy and media

Seddon's work as a social entrepreneur has been covered by BBC News,[10] The Times,[22] The Telegraph,[23] and Corriere della Serra.[24] He is a contributor to BBC News, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 5 Live, where he discusses social mobility and access to higher education.[25] He has also been a guest speaker at the Cambridge Union, where he has delivered lectures on social entrepreneurship.[26]

In October 2020, Seddon was appointed as a Trustee of the British Youth Council.[27] Seddon is also on the Governing Body of Lister Community School.[28]

Personal life

Seddon lives in London and is a Hull City supporter.[29]

References

  1. ^ "Meet the 21-year-old from Yorkshire giving hundreds of state school students the secrets of how to get into Oxbridge". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  2. ^ Gill, Gurvinder (2020-02-11). "I spent my last £200 getting people into Oxbridge". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  3. ^ "Celebration for pass masters at two schools". The Press. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  4. ^ "Debating Matters - People - Joe Seddon". archive.debatingmatters.com. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  5. ^ "Oxford grad offers free tutoring to poor kids". Metro Newspaper UK. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  6. ^ Seddon, Joe (2017-07-18). "In defence of tuition fees: a student's perspective". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  7. ^ Mintz, Luke (2019-06-17). "Can mentor schemes really turn the tables for disadvantaged students applying to Oxbridge?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  8. ^ "Student-led outreach initiative Access Oxbridge launches 'groundbreaking' new app". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  9. ^ "This app helps students with Oxford and Cambridge University admissions". Study International. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  10. ^ a b Gill, Gurvinder (2020-02-11). "I spent my last £200 getting people into Oxbridge". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  11. ^ Education Editor, Rosemary Bennett (2019-02-02). "Oxford graduate Joe Seddon offers key to interview ordeal". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2019-10-26. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ Penna, Dominic (2020-02-12). "Want to go to Oxbridge? 5 insider tips for state school students from a 'super mentor'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  13. ^ "Access Oxbridge founder receives Prime Minister's Points of Light award". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  14. ^ Bennett, Rosemary. "App gives poor pupils a mentor to guide them into top universities". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  15. ^ Cerullo, Sophia (2020-05-30). "Oxford graduate launches digital mentoring for students from disadvantaged backgrounds". Cherwell. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  16. ^ "Mentoring start-up 'Zero Gravity' launched today by founder of Access Oxbridge". The Oxford Student. 2020-05-24. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  17. ^ "'Not everybody has a dedicated office space and a Macbook Air': Oxford grad creates app to help improve access to university". University of Cambridge. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  18. ^ "Grad signs up 1,000 students to mentor disadvantaged kids applying to uni". UK. 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  19. ^ Editor, Sian Griffiths, Education. "Fairground worker Milly teaches herself Classics on rollercoaster ride to Oxford". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-03-15. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Zero Gravity helps 151 low-income students receive Oxbridge offers". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  21. ^ "ALUMNI STORIES: 'I WANTED TO SHOW HOW TECHNOLOGY COULD DISRUPT THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR AND LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR STUDENTS'". www.alumni.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  22. ^ Bennett, Rosemary. "Young mentor secures 60 Oxbridge offers for deprived pupils". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  23. ^ Penna, Dominic (2020-02-12). "Want to go to Oxbridge? 5 insider tips for state school students from a 'super mentor'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  24. ^ "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  25. ^ "Joe Seddon from Access Oxbridge on BBC Look North". Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  26. ^ "Easter Term 2019 | Cambridge Union". Issuu. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  27. ^ "British Youth Council | Our board". British Youth Council. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  28. ^ "Our Governing Body | Lister Community School". lister.newham.sch.uk. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  29. ^ The North/South Divide - Climbing The Rungs, retrieved 2021-07-15
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