Undergraduate from Telford Shortlisted for Prestigious Award
On 10th July 2025, Margarita Donkoh Lockner who is based in Telford will be celebrated at the seventh annual Student Social Mobility Awards, for overcoming adversity and achieving exceptional accomplishments in their studies and beyond.
The Student Social Mobility Awards showcase the incredible work being done by individuals and organisations to transform and promote social mobility across the UK. Hosted at London’s Mansion House, these awards celebrate undergraduates for their academic excellence, dedication to social mobility, outstanding career accomplishment and remarkable achievement, with the highest scoring student earning the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award.
This year Margarita Donkoh Lockner, currently studying Civil Engineering, has been shortlisted for the ‘Science Sector’ award. This prize recognises outstanding achievement in pursuing a career within Science and Engineering while at university.
Margarita faced a number of barriers when entering higher education. Being raised by a migrant family and growing up in a rural community with limited access to STEM resources, she learned about the importance of hard work and seeking out opportunities. As a result, she developed a strong sense of self-reliance and the determination to learn independently. Despite these challenges, she is proud of several notable achievements. One of the most impactful experiences was designing and implementing a framework for regenerative design in civil engineering education, which she then tested in a student workshop. This framework was not only designed to help academic institutions embed regenerative design principles in academia but also to inspire engineers to think beyond sustainability and become positive changemakers.
The issue of social mobility is persistent in the UK. Recent findings from the Social Mobility Commission reveals that those who come from professional family backgrounds are 6 times more likely to enter professional jobs compared to those from working-class backgrounds.
For Margarita, winning at the 2025 Student Social Mobility Awards would mean a great deal:
“Winning at the Student Social Mobility Awards would be an experience to remember. It would serve as an immersive validation of my journey where I can acknowledge the effort I have put in, the barriers I have managed to overcome, and the self-reliance I have cultivated over the years. This recognition would inspire me to push even further in my academic and professional pursuits, empowering me to continue seeking out new challenges and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to society. Furthermore, winning the award would allow me to inspire others, especially those from similar backgrounds to mine. Having personally overcome the challenges faced by someone from a migrant family, I am happy to demonstrate what is possible to motivate others to achieve their own academic and professional aspirations.”
Asked to give advice to someone who grew up in a similar environment to them, Margarita comments:
“The advice that I will give to somebody studying at a state school in my hometown that is experiencing similar socio-economic challenges is to seek out external support from different organisations. For instance, charities like upReach provide invaluable guidance, mentorship and access to different networks that can support students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.”
The nominated students have managed to accomplish incredible achievements despite facing socio-economic challenges, such as balancing multiple responsibilities outside of their studies, limited professional networks and living in areas with low job prospects. Notably, 76% of nominees represent the first in their families to go into higher education and 68% were eligible for free school meals. 27% have had caregiving responsibilities, 6% have previously been in care and 8% are estranged from their families. This year has seen a record number of nominations with 227 nominees across hailing from 44 universities.
The award-winning social mobility charity upReach, which organises the awards, currently provides personalised 1-to-1 support to 3,000 students from across the UK – including 380 from the West Midlands. They created the Student Social Mobility Awards to celebrate the outstanding achievements of undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and to celebrate the incredible work being done by individuals and organisations to transform social mobility in the UK.
Nick Bent, CEO of upReach comments: “At upReach, we recognise that although career potential is spread nationally, unfortunately opportunities are not. These awards illuminate the journeys of those who, despite times of economic and regional adversity, have triumphed over significant obstacles to succeed. Their stories serve as invaluable inspiration for their peers and future generations at a time when this is sorely needed. It is an honour to be able to celebrate and uplift the individuals and organisations dedicated to improving social mobility throughout the UK”
This year’s awards will be judged by an exciting panel of judges. Gogglebox star Baasit Siddiqui, also known for his experience as an educator, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, will be joined by April McMahon, University of Manchester’s Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students. Their insights and knowledge will be invaluable and make this year’s awards truly exceptional.
The 2025 awards have been generously supported by Bank of America, FactSet, Slaughter and May, Royal Academy of Engineering and G-Research. Their sponsorship will not only cover the costs of hosting the awards ceremony, but will also enable nominees from all over the UK to attend with their travel and accommodation costs covered.
