When you think about somewhere like Cambridge,
you probably don't think of a place like this.
Probably don't think of somebody who looks like me.
My name is Courtney Daniella and I am a Youtuber,
I am an entrepreneur and I am a Cambridge graduate.
Growing up here was really cool.
A lot of us didn't grow up with a lot of money
or ambitions to go to university.
I was going to just work to help support my family
because at the time my mum was very sick
and we didn't know whether she was going to actually get better,
so it was just my mum, my sister and I.
Now this is my old secondary school / sixth form
and behind these gates is a normal state school that
houses some of the best people I think in the world.
Now it was whilst I was here that I decided that I
was going to apply to Cambridge University.
I was scared that my race, my background, the way I
the way I spoke was definitely going to hold me back.
You're kind of intimidated by the fact that you were doing something
that feels like going down the lonely road by yourself
but nonetheless I was able to get over my own fears,
able to get out of my own head
and decided that I was gonna let whatever would be be.
Where I grew up, how I grew up, the people that raised me,
they taught me so much.
It may not have been or look the same
as a lot of the people who do end up at Cambridge.
However it made me into a person with ambition and dream.
If you're watching this, and I think you have ambition and dream
and drive as well, so you can do it!
Fear is something that happens to the best of us
and I must admit when I saw this train coming
to take me to King's Cross so I could go to Cambridge,
I was scared out of my mind!
I had this train journey to try and calm down but I was
but I was pretty much hyperventilating!
When I first got off the train at Cambridge
it was a pretty daunting experience.
I had been to the city before but I hadn't
been to the college I was actually going to
and I was pretty scared.
However when I finally got here, I was running late.
I had missed my train because I was so nervous
to come to my interview, I almost wasn't going to come
and then when I finally got here I was running and rushing
to finally get into a taxi.
It's totally fine to be nervous for your interview,
it's pretty common, it's pretty human.
I should have just been a lot more easy on myself.
Calm yourself down a little bit.
I even wish I had worn different clothes.
Remember they're not trying to trick you.
I jumped out of my taxi and completely forgot
to pay my cab driver.
It's all about you being comfortable and showing
yourself in the best way possible.
I made it to my interview and thank God my interviewer
was actually later than I was.
What really shocked me was when I sat down
across from people that were interviewing me,
it was very conversational.
What are you interested in? What are you passionate about?
Let's discuss that.
All you have to do is bring your best self to your interview.
This interview is going really really well.
And I'm sure that Rianna is going to definitely get in,
so good luck Rianna!
Thanks Courtney!
So when you first come to Cambridge
there were some really grand buildings
which may seem quite intimidating.
Places like this are really beautiful
and you can definitely appreciate their beauty
but for me I wanted a more modern, more chill vibe.
So right now we're about to go into Robinson College.
It's kinda like this little mini fortress.
You're just seeing all of our different rooms
and places used for dining, places used to study
and places used to live in.
You're really a part of a family.
Find your real good set of friends
who you go out into town with
or you just stay in college with.
So it's a really great place to really find
and touch base with people who you want to
spend the rest of your three years with.
All colleges have a cafe or a bar,
it's a great place to meet up with your friends,
chill out a little bit or you can even revise in here.
This is your typical Robinson room.
It has an amazing view of the gardens and if you're lucky
enough to have a balcony then that's always great.
You can always decorate the walls,
do whatever you can to make yourself feel comfortable
One thing about being in a space like this is
obviously you will stand out as one of the few black students
that are in your college and you can't let that
stop you from having a good time.
One of my biggest regrets personally was hiding away
because I was constantly so conscious of the fact
that I look so different
And you know what, it held me back.
You've just got to realise that you being different
brings a different voice to the table.
A different voice to the conversation.
Just to do it, don't let anyone or anything
hold you back and you will find faces
where you could feel comfortable.
So I'm gonna take you somewhere
where you may spend a lot of your time,
depending on where you like to work,
and that is your college library.
It's full of books, it's full of loads of desks.
Whilst I was here, I spent a lot of time
sitting down and studying.
It's exam season so I should probably get to reading.
So right now we are in a lecture.
And I can't really talk too loud because we will get kicked out!
Lectures are very different to classes at sixth form.
You go off and read the books and write the essay,
you go to your supervision and then you've
covered the whole topic,
so this is really just the beginning of your learning.
Most people in Cambridge actually get around by cycling. no never
Coming for a ride?
No, never. Bye Drew.
This is Trinity College, picture everything that's opposite
to a college like Robinson and you have Trinity.
We are coming here to talk to Nathania.
It will be great for you guys to just hear from her
because she's such a real person;
History student, from Manchester, up north, so yeah!
I didn't actually picture myself here,
it was just, I wanted to see if I could do it
and then I did and I'm really happy that I did.
What was it like coming here for the first time
and seeing the Trinity College?
I hadn't Googled, I hadn't nothing
so I came here for me interview
I came down with my auntie.
And I remember like, I was outside the front.
I was literally fine and I walked through that little door
at the front and then I literally **** myself.
I was like they're never gonna let me in here.
Like it was just so grand and everything.
I remember moving-in-day here, like I got here late, of course,
I remember standing outside the front and I was like
I was dead nervous and I was like I can either go in
and like be nervous and not speak to anyone or just go and be myself.
And that's what I've done and I've made some really good mates here.
There are a lot of traditions, there are a lot of rules,
it can be a bit ridiculous at times
but overall it's a really nice place to live and I think
even though it is really intimidating how it looks, there are nice people here
and like you don't see like 60% of them anyway
because they're all mathmos in their room
so it doesn't really matter to me.
But I like it as a college and I don't think I would like
to be anywhere else.
It's not work while you're here.
Everything can be kind of fun when you want it to be.
So I found most of my time being spent relaxing and just chilling
with my friends in the ACS, so at the end of the day,
just make it what you want it to be.
18-year-old Courtney, what would I say to you?
You're gonna be great, you're actually gonna be fine
and you're smart enough to be here,
you're gonna get an amazing degree,
you're actually gonna get first in some of your papers shockingly!
You have the chance to make an impact,
so just don't be quiet and stop feeling like an imposter
stop feeling like you can't do this and
stop punishing yourself for feeling like you have to hide away
and not be seen because then people will find out
that you can't be here because actually
you're gonna produce some amazing work
and your voice is actually going to be quite important.
And yeah so, get out of bed,
put on your wig,
go to the library
and go to your lectures, yeah!