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The support of family and friends gave Kofi Hayford (Law 2024) the confidence to apply to ����Ӱҵ College and the University of Cambridge.

Kofi grew up in Chatham in the Medway region of Kent, attending Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School in Rochester and excelling academically. Strong foundations from his family – his parents and elder brother – and friendship group encouraged Kofi to ‘Dare to dream’, as he wrote after meeting his offer at Caius.

“It’s always worth a try. If you don’t do certain things, you will regret it. You will always have the thought of ‘could I?’,” says Kofi.

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure I’d get in, but I was willing to take a chance. A lot of people are scared to try and take the step in case it doesn’t work out. What if it does work out for you? It worked out for me and I’m here doing law at Cambridge, which still hasn’t really sunk in. 

“Anyone who is thinking about it should do it because they’ve got nothing to lose. The worst thing that could happen would be they say no and you go to your second choice. It’s not a barrier. It’s not going to hinder you in any way.”

Kofi was inspired to read Law by his mother, who moved to the UK from Ghana aged 20, and initially worked three jobs, while his father worked two jobs.

He says: “From a young age I understood education was the pathway to work hard to achieve what my parents couldn’t achieve. The main reason I decided to be a lawyer was because my mum wanted to be a lawyer. But when she came to the UK she didn’t have the chance to do that. 

“I thought I should try to aspire to do what she couldn’t do. I never really had aspirations of Cambridge growing up; a lot of people I’ve met here did. I got to sixth form and I thought to myself ‘I think I’m smart enough to do it’. It’s important to try things. The worst that happens is they say no and I go somewhere else. I applied, got an interview and got in!

“My family was more happy than I was. My brother was crying and I’ve never seen him like that before. He was hugging me, my mum and dad were screaming! That’s what felt the best. Knowing that I’m doing something which rewards their efforts.”

It’s always worth a try. If you don’t do certain things, you will regret it. You will always have the thought of ‘could I?’

Kofi’s mother now works for the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and his father is a housing officer in the London Borough of Greenwich. “They’re remarkable people,” he adds. “My biggest flex is that I’ve got a large and supportive family. I don’t think I’d be able to do this without them.”

His elder brother is studying Economics at Loughborough University. “He’s always telling me that I’m having to one-up him,” laughs Kofi.

Kofi, his brother and their friendship groups were encouraged to work hard from an early age, using a work ethic inherited from their parents.

He adds: “I was lucky. A lot of my friends have similar backgrounds to me and drilled it into them to be hard working. If you have good people around you who are driven and want to succeed it becomes easier. I’ve got two friends playing professional football, making Premier League matchday squads. Other friends are at universities around the country. When you all have a goal it becomes easier.”

Representation is important, says Kofi, who has met students across the year groups with similar backgrounds. 

“It’s always important to be able to see yourself wherever you want to go,” he adds. “It’s important to have representation wherever you go, in any situation. Seeing people who have done it before me and knowing it’s an option for me is always very important. It’s good to have people you can look up to. For me, knowing there were initiatives, seeing people who had done it before me, made me think ‘I’ve got a chance at this – if I give it a shot I might get it. At least then I know I’ve tried’.”

Kofi is determined to seize the opportunities which come with being a student at Cambridge, whether that is in the College football team, networking through the Real Estate and Finance Society or Law Society, or simply when walking around the city he now calls home.

He says: “I’ve told myself I won’t take it for granted. I try to put my phone down, look around, look at the buildings, the skyline, the river, and it’s something I’m really enjoying.”