Reclaiming spaces: Women of Colour excelling in Creative Industries & Education Sobia Afridi, Brookes Bridges Manager, Oxford Brookes University Sobia Afridi has worked in higher education for 22 years, on many different projects. This has included events such as the Step Up Conference, an event for Black and Minority Ethnic students with guest speakers who worked to motivate, engage and inspire the students. She was also involved in setting up the Asian young girl’s project to break down the barriers and myths that some Asian parents have and make it clear that higher education is accessible to Pakistani and Bangladeshi girls without compromising their religion. She currently runs a project at the Oxford Central Mosque which aims to improve attainment in Maths and English and to increase students’ confidence at school. The scheme is targeted at students in years 5-11 studying at particular schools, with priority given to Black and Minority Ethnic students, students wh...