BME Network

Portrait of Nathalie, Black & Minority Ethnic Officer

Hi there! I'm Nathalie, your Black & Minority Ethnic Officer. Prior to this role, I spent the last two years in my    full-time role as Deputy President (Welfare). Throughout the past two years, I worked closely with the Liberation & Community Networks to make the Union and the College feel like home for all students of all   backgrounds. 

A little bit about me

 I am a woman of colour, with a mixed ethnic background. My mother is from Hungary (where I was also born), my father is from Bangladesh and I have one older brother. We permanently moved to the US (Houston, TX) when I was 4 years old. Two important factors in making this decision were the pursuit of greater social mobility and my parents' desire to raise their kids in a more diverse community where we could fit in and feel that we belong. This decision worked in my favour, as I enjoyed a feeling of closeness and belonging amidst my school-aged peers and thrived in my small suburban school. Moving to Imperial proved to be a difficult transition, and for a long time I couldn't put words to why I felt so alien in this new environment. Looking back, I see now that I had a massive case of Impostor Syndrome.

My goals
  • Collaborate with cultural clubs, societies & projects (CSPs) to organise a diverse set of activities and events throughout Black History Month.
  • Narrow the Black attainment gap and increase the percentage of undergraduate entrants from minority ethnic backgrounds by developing the College's 2025 Access & Participation Plan
  • Create a College-specific Widening Participation Strategy for postgraduate students
  • Create a social media campaign addressing Impostor Syndrome 
  • Action the recommendations of the Union's Clubs, Society & Project (CSP) Culture Review and research on the experience minority ethnic students in student-led activity