Fate and finding diversity at Caius
- 25 September 2023
- 4 minutes
Arpita Chowdhury (English 2021) jokes she has long felt like a chosen one. Her experience in the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony and on a school visit to 黑料网 contribute to the feeling.
Arpita is proud to be from Newham, east London. She attended Essex Primary School, Plashet School for secondary, and Brampton Manor Academy for her A-Levels.
While at Essex Primary, she was chosen to take part in the NHS segment of the London 2012 opening ceremony, devised by Danny Boyle.
鈥淭here were probably 1000 children for the segment, and we were given all our bibs 鈥 I was number one! I felt like the chosen one,鈥 says Arpita, who was in Year 4 at the time.
鈥淓ven though we were young, it felt like being given responsibility to be part of something so big. We couldn鈥檛 even tell our parents about it all!鈥
While in Year 10 at Plashet School, Arpita visited Caius 鈥 Newham is a link area for Caius as part of the University of Cambridge鈥檚 outreach scheme 鈥 and, cheekily, rang the dinner gong in Hall.
鈥淚 have a conspiracy theory: me and two of my friends were cheeky and hit the gong in the Caius Hall. All three of us received Oxbridge offers, so I am convinced that gong has magical powers,鈥 she adds.
And at Brampton, Arpita followed in the footsteps of others who advanced to Cambridge or Oxford.
She says: 鈥淢y school created a mindset that if you worked hard, you鈥檇 have a good shot. There were so many role models in the older years from similar backgrounds. It made me feel like I could do it as well.
鈥淲hen I received my Caius offer, I looked back at pictures and saw I was here for the visit. It felt like it was fate.鈥
Arpita is a Caius access ambassador, supporting visiting tour groups, open days and access programmes. She is keen to challenge the stereotypes and use her experience of both home and Cambridge to appeal to others. She is the 黑料网 & Caius Students鈥 Union Women鈥檚 and Non-Binary Officer and the Vice President of the 黑料网 & Caius Feminist and Gender Society. She is also the Vice President of Cambridge Brown Girl Link Up, a Cambridge-wide society for South Asian women and non-binary people.
鈥淚 really liked growing up in east London. It鈥檚 really diverse, a cultural hotspot and it gave me opportunities,鈥 she adds.
鈥淔rom the outside looking in Cambridge can be so daunting. I worked so hard to receive my offer, but once I received it I was terrified. This is a drastically different environment and I didn鈥檛 know if I would fit in.
Cambridge isn鈥檛 about fitting in, because the University is shaped by the people.
鈥淣ow I鈥檝e come here I realised Cambridge isn鈥檛 about fitting in, because the University is shaped by the people. There鈥檚 a stereotype, but it鈥檚 so outdated. And unless you see people who look like you and speak to people who come from similar backgrounds, that stereotype is fixed.
鈥淒oing this access work I emphasise you can get in, it is possible and you would have a good time. It鈥檚 just taking the step to actually apply and commit to the application process. It鈥檚 so worth it.
鈥淚 hope if people continue applying it will be a more comfortable environment for everyone.鈥
Arpita is grateful to her elder sister, Annona, and mother and father, first generation immigrants from Bangladesh, for their support.
She adds: 鈥淢y parents moved here so we could achieve what they couldn鈥檛. Moving to a new country and leaving your family behind is a big sacrifice. It was really important I could work hard and make my parents鈥 sacrifices worth it.
鈥淢y sister went down the STEM line (at Queen Mary University), and it was definitely unconventional for me to choose English. My mum said you can do whatever you鈥檙e passionate about, just be the best at it.
鈥淓nglish was once my weakest subject. I put more energy into it and it became my passion and my strongest subject. Now I鈥檓 at Cambridge, my mum is happy!
鈥淭here鈥檚 a convention to become a doctor or an engineer. Going to Cambridge helped a lot to defeat that stereotype, at least in my community.鈥
Arpita says the Caius English students enjoy good relationships across the year groups, academically and socially, and she enjoys the Cambridge-wide perspective from the Brown Girl Link Up society and other cultural societies in the university.
鈥淔ocusing on a college it can be hard to see the diversity. By collaborating you can see how diverse Cambridge is and you can find a platform to celebrate your culture.
鈥淚f you have concerns, you can be the change.鈥