Hasan Kaso, a travel and tourism student at North Kent College, was inspired to apply to university after visiting an open day with a Uni Connect project officer.
Hasan Kaso, 19, is studying travel and tourism Level 3 at North Kent College. He has three conditional offers for university next year, but it’s something he didn’t start thinking seriously about until recently.
Originally from Syria, Hasan arrived in England in Year 7 and joined The Leigh Academy in Dartford. He finished year 11 but couldn’t do his GCSEs due to the coronavirus pandemic. He went on to study at North Kent College, initially doing Level 1 health and social care. After completing that, he changed course to do hospitality and events, Level 2, before studying travel and tourism, Level 3, this year.
Hasan has been supported by the college’s Uni Connect Project Officer, Cheryl, to help him decide what to do next. He has also attended the careers fair and talks on career options such as apprenticeships.
He says, “Everyone at the college has been so helpful and supportive. Anything you need, they’re always there for you.”
Although he has always dreamed of going to university, he only started considering it more seriously when he began his Level 3. Cheryl talked through his options and offered support with applications. She also took him to an open day at Canterbury Christ Church University in January so he could see what university had to offer. His experience on the day prompted him to apply to university to study accounting and finance, with a foundation year.
Hasan says, “I thought, wow, this is amazing, this is different, everyone around you is so different.”
Although Canterbury offered the course, they didn’t have the foundation year, so he looked at other universities. Due to the timing of the visit, Hasan had just a couple of weeks to complete his UCAS application to meet the deadlines. But his determination paid off, as so far, he has three conditional offers from Middlesex University, University of Winchester, and London Metropolitan University.
He adds, “This is the right pathway for me moving forward. My parents and uncle have businesses, which I look after for them, and I like maths as well, which is a great thing for me to take forward.”
He is currently working on his student finance application and is now focusing on his Level 3 to achieve the UCAS points he needs to go to university.
The Kent and Medway Progression Federation (KMPF) is a collaborative partnership of higher education providers, colleges, schools and community organisations working to make sure young people from all backgrounds can see and reach their potential. We are proud to work with 49 schools and 3 colleges to deliver outreach activities across Kent and Medway as part of the Office for Students (OfS) Uni Connect Programme.