'Couldn't Read Or Write Until 18': UK Man Becomes Youngest Black Professor At Cambridge University

Jason Arday was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and global development delay in his early years. He could not speak properly until the age of 11 and could not read or write until he was 18. Today, at the age of 37, Jason has been appointed to a professorship at the University of Cambridge, making him the youngest black Professor at the prestigious university. Jason's story is nothing less than inspirational.

Dreams Turning Into Reality

On March 6, Jason would be stepping into the Cambridge classrooms as the Professor of the Sociology of Education. Not more than eight years back, he was told by some of the experts that he would likely have to stay in an assisted living facility. He refused to make that a reality and strived his way ahead. Penning all his lifelong goals on a bedroom wall, Jason ambitiously wrote that he wanted to "work at Oxford or Cambridge." Despite being optimistic, he believed Cambridge to be a far-fetched dream that could have never come true.

Initially, he began writing academic papers in the spur of the moment. Everything he submitted was getting rejected, and he thought of the peer review process as so "cruel, it was almost funny." Not getting held back by the rejections, he persevered and treated it all as a part of the learning process. Surely enough then, he earned a degree in physical education and education studies, two master's qualifications, and a PhD under his name.

He published his first-ever scholarly paper in 2018 and became the youngest Professor in the entire UK after securing a job at the University of Glasgow's School of Education. Talking about his years of experience, Jason said "A lot of academics say they stumbled into this line of work, but from that moment, I was determined and focused - I knew that this would be my goal."

A Place For One And All

Professor Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice chancellor of education at the university called Jason an "exceptional scholar" who will contribute significantly to Cambridge. He believes that Jason would be rightly able to address the under-representation of people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, especially the Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities. Adding on, Prof Vira noted that Cambridge has a responsibility to do everything it can to address this by "creating academic spaces where everyone feels they belong."

As Jason is set to take charge as the youngest black person to be appointed under professorship at the University of Cambridge, he reflects on his particular interest in improving the representation of ethnic minorities in higher education. Right from his foundational stages, Jason was moved by watching Nelson Mandela's release from prison to South Africa's symbolic triumph in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. According to an India Today report, the suffering of others had deeply impacted him, and his work focussed on how more doors can be opened for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. With his professorship, he hopes to truly democratise higher education.

Also Read: My Story: 'I Was Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder At The Age of 3 & Back Then This Wasn't Well-Known'