Graduated Ninestiles Technology College, & Victoria Special
Needs School for additional physical support, Birmingham
Having returned to her Special Needs School as an alumni, Priyaneet Kainth believes moments like this can change the lives of both students and alumni.
For her, that visit back to her Birmingham local authority school was an opportunity to share that the world is a more inclusive and accepting place for those with a disability, even as it reminded her of the judgements those with additional needs can still face. But what surprised her most was that while she thought she was giving back, she actually received the fuel and inspiration to do more. Which perhaps underpins the reason why she now works as an Equity and Inclusion Manager: a role which clearly aligns with her values and allows her to live her purpose.
In her mainstream school life at Ninestiles, Priyaneet was frightened and anxiety-ridden, often calling in sick so she didn’t have to face the taunts asking her why she was ‘so special’.
She had no one to look up to, or to talk with outside of her parents, and her dream of working in London was dismissed – all because she has a progressive disability that is often invisible to those around her.
Now, however, she’s able to look back and recognise she is special – not in the way those school bullies accused – but because her disability is actually a superpower. It’s taught her resilience, and influenced her values of kindness and love encouraging her to give back to her community.
A community she believes students of today desperately need.
Being in a minority in different dimensions of her life has been scary, and to know she is now amongst like minded people would have brought comfort in previous years. The alienation and lack of opportunity, along with a need to prove herself, made it hard to love who she is with a disability – and Priyaneet wishes that someone similar had visited her during her childhood to demonstrate that her dreams were possible.
Yet, when she was younger she was told by her family and teachers that she wasn’t likely to get anywhere or do anything – not out of malice, but because they were trying to protect her. She held a fear that there would be no one to support her once she left school and this led to sleepless nights, often with tears.
Fortunately Priyaneet had a strength of vision and she followed it, learning along the way that the challenges and discrimination she has faced are the foundations from which she educates others and gives back. It seems fitting then that it was through a Rising Star Awards evening that a Future First speech inspired her to connect with them and become an alumni.
For a younger Priyaneet, a visit by an alumni could have increased her confidence, supported her with body image, and addressed feelings of not being good enough, making the difficult moments less difficult. And while she acknowledges people shouldn’t be told what to do, what they do need is an environment in which to grow – and alumni can show students that those moments of difficulty are just one part of a journey that is worth it.
But what she most needed was to know there was a community out in the world for those like her.
As an alumni, her aim is to encourage students to love themselves, to dream big, and never give up. And she’d like teachers to recognise that state school alumni programmes could provide solutions to some of the problems current students face, because it offers connections with creative people that look at things differently.
Priyaneet believes that if we want to give our time to something that will help, alumni programmes are it – because going back to where she started, and helping others on their journey has been the most rewarding experience for her. She references Mary Angelou, who once told us: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
That, to Priyaneet, is the power of alumni.
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Future First is the public name for Future First Alumni Limited, a registered charity, number 1135638.
Investec has supported Future First since 2024. Our partnership is focused on the expansion of our Primary Programme, supporting the transition from primary to secondary education through mentors.
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This strand of our work has been developed to bring the curriculum to life and engage students by showing the practical application of learning.
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