A graduate of the University of Worcester has been featured in a national campaign highlighting successful people who were the first in their family to go to university.

Kiran Sahota is an award-winning social historian and founder of Believe in Me.

She not only carved a successful career path for herself but also became a valuable contributor to her community.

Believe in Me empowers young people and women from marginalized communities through education.

As an extension of its impactful work, it recently received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK, on Sunday.

Ms Sahota, who graduated from the University of Worcester in 2006, received an Honorary Degree last year in recognition of her charity and education work.

Now, she is a featured success story in the 100 Faces campaign by Universities UK, launched on Monday, April 15.

She said: "I learnt so much during my time at the University of Worcester.

"Particularly the value of digging deeper, pulling harder on the thread of a thought until you can follow it somewhere really valuable, really interesting."

Worcester News: Kiran Sahota is an award-winning social historian and founder of Believe in Me

Over the past decade, Ms Sahota has curated three national exhibitions exploring the contributions of Indian men and women to the First and Second World War.

These exhibitions have been featured on BBC Women’s Hour in the House of Lords and House of Commons, HMS President, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and other national partners.

In addition to her exhibition work, Ms Sahota also guest lectures at various universities across the UK.

Her outstanding work and contribution have won her several recognitions.

In 2021, the prime minister honoured her research in South Asian history, women’s history, and community outreach work with the Points of Light Award.

In 2012, she was an Olympic Torchbearer, and in 2022, she bore the torch for the Commonwealth Games.

The '100 Faces' campaign aims to inspire prospective first-generation students with stories of success like that of Ms Sahota's.

According to Universities UK, 71 per cent of first-generation UK graduates affirmed that university education opened doors for them.