I’m joining the 2021/22 Fellowship, here’s how it happened
Incoming Social Innovation Fellow Aiden Tsen recounts their unique journey to joining the 2021/22 cohort
Hi, I’m Aiden — I’m a 20-year-old autistic freelance public speaker, writer and artist. Considering my age and professional background, I’m possibly the least standard Year Here applicant! As an autistic, bi Chinese guy/existence (he/she/they pronouns) with a chronic illness who dropped out of uni, in a very literal way, the pandemic is the reason why I’m starting the programme in September 2021.
In October 2020, I was a Chemistry fresher at New College, Oxford. It was the culmination of a secondary school career in struggle and graft. Not academically — that was the only thing that was okay. My teen years felt like an anime series where the next, tougher boss would show up as soon as the previous one fell. The best example of these challenges: I got sick the day after I realised I could stick out my new sixth form. Despite protesting initially, I ended up taking a gap year to focus on my health and save up.
The crowning glory was catching COVID right at the start of term. The virus was fine during the actual self-isolation period. What wasn’t was getting another infection that messed up my hearing and balance. And then, two days after I left self-iso, my chronic illness came back badly. I’d never been hospitalised before; then I got hospitalised twice in a week in an unfamiliar city. Suffice it to say, I was scared. It wasn’t possible to keep on top of the work, so I left before the end of the autumn term.
Though I had the option to return in October 2021, I always knew I couldn’t return. I didn’t know if my university could support me if I had a bad flare-up in those four years. I was really down for a while, struggling to get out of bed for weeks. Gradually, I recovered. For that, I fully credit the disability charity KEEN London. I’ve been with them since June 2017, and it was through considering working for them that I started to think about my future again. I reached out to the Oxford careers service for advice, and I stumbled upon Year Here from their charities graduate scheme page.
Reading through the website was an exercise in emotional self-flagellation because I kept thinking: ‘The practical focus and frontline experience sounds amazing. You don’t have a degree, though, and this is a postgraduate programme.’ Then I came across the question about whether your application would be considered if you don’t have a degree. The first word, that ‘absolutely’, absolutely changed my life.
I applied and was really surprised when I kept getting through to the next stage. And then buckled down and studied — I didn’t know anything about things like financial projections or assessment centres before applying. I kept on reaching out to past and present Year Here Fellows throughout the process. Everyone was so lovely, and that just made me want it more — I wanted (and want!) to be part of this amazing community.
I’m a bit nervous that I’ll be the least experienced of my cohort: I think the strength of my application lay in the depth of my lived experience and my willingness to be open about it. Both for this reason and because I like to have projects running anyway, I’m doing a range of things across the summer to learn new skills. I’m also hoping I’ll learn more about myself so I know how best to approach the programme. So, there’s a strong chance that my portfolio will be very different even by then. Don’t worry, I am making sure to relax, too!
However, this nervousness pales to my feeling of excitement. Due to my autism, I’m especially interested in disability. However, I firmly believe that accessibility should be firmly embedded in every solution to a problem, especially because disabled people tend to be more likely to be part of other vulnerable communities. And the opportunity for intersectionality is part of why I was so interested in Year Here, so I’m very open to what kind of frontline placement I end up doing. That said, I’d like it to be a fast-paced environment — I’ve experienced how slowly things can move in a school!
Perhaps because of my youth, I’m excited about everything. I want to get stuck in and learn as much as I can. It’s wild that I’d be worrying about first-year exams in a typical year, exploring topics I wouldn’t ever use for good. My friends joke that I’ve mildly transcended the traditional path, and then some.
My main piece of advice to anyone reading is to apply. I learned a lot about myself, even from my initial application videos, so it would’ve been worthwhile even if I wasn’t offered a place. And please do reach out — we may even end up being colleagues!
