The founding principles of the University are what makes Sheffield so special. At the turn of the 20th century, the promise of a University for Sheffield, bringing the highest level of education within the reach of the child of the working man, inspired donations from across the city from steelworkers, coal miners and factory workers and changed the city forever.

The University has never forgotten its roots. The contribution the University makes to the city is unquantifiable. The experience of being part of such a rich and diverse academic community woven into a strong and long-standing local community is something to be cherished and celebrated.

Sheffield’s international story began before the University’s Royal Charter was even ratified. Z.T.K. Woo began his studies in Sheffield in 1904, and was the first of many thousands since. Sheffield should be forever proud of its history, and international students have been part of our University community since the very start. Studying is a journey and the best thing about travelling is the friends you meet along the way.

International students had their own autonomous representation even before the First World War within the Students’ Union, leading the way in international student representation. This legacy survives to this day. We are one of only a handful of Students’ Unions in the UK to have a full time elected International Students’ Officer, responsible not just for elevating the voices of international students but in striving for an environment in which we can all learn from each other, and benefit from each other’s perspectives.

The contribution of international students make to our University is immeasurable. Ali Yousef was the first International student to be elected President of Sheffield Students’ Union, in 1936. He campaigned against racism and for the rights of overseas students. Yousef served as our President when the Union was campaigning for the introduction of a University Health Service, to help students who struggled to meet their medical costs.

This was 12 years before the introduction of the National Health Service, and even eight decades on, Sheffield remains an outlier in directly ensuring its students’ health is properly attended to. Yousef went on to become a member of the Egyptian Parliament, and by the time he came back to visit Sheffield compulsory medical checks were in place for the early signs of Tuberculosis, which had killed two students when he was at the University. He showed that students can inspire change, from the University and within our own communities.

The motto of the University translates roughly into English as ‘to discover the causes of things’. As students, our mission has to go a little further than that. It is also to change things when they are not quite right. Yousef understood this, and this reflects the importance of contribution that international students have made to our University.

A University for Sheffield and #WeAreInternational are not mutually exclusive concepts: they can be part of the same vision of a University that reaches out and celebrates diversity, and gives something back to the local community. International students are an irreplaceable part of the community we have built here together. We have always been international.

We’ve Always Been International was originally published in Sheffield Students on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I was so lucky to be afforded the chance to study at the University of Sheffield. The experience has changed my life and shaped who I am. It’s a unique opportunity to explore what it is to learn and to grapple with difficult concepts. We have literally hundreds of clubs and societies that students can join and try out new things, and meet amazing people in the process. When I opened the envelope containing my A level results, hands shaking, I had no idea just how lucky I was.

For so many, however, the admissions process on results day is merely a spectator sport, because they never believed that university could be for them. It is not that university is necessarily for everyone, but surely it should at least be for anyone. Students from deprived backgrounds are denied the belief that they can go into Higher Education and that it can change their lives. The playing field is so uneven that millions of people can’t even access the field of play, let alone have a fair shot.

If we take minute to consider how we can make this process fairer, there are clearly some measures that can be taken that would go some way in widening participation in Higher Education.

The way that universities assess their applications is fundamentally socially constructed. Applicants are reduced to data points and assessed on that basis; raw grade data is subjectively weighted against a UCAS mandated personal statement. The amount of support prospective students receive during this process fluctuates wildly, and this correlates in an undeniable way with the quality of their schooling and their families experience in Higher Education.

It is in this context, that context matters. It is in no one’s interest to have universities lacking in diversity and overlooking the talents of those not already institutionally advantaged in society. There is a purely academic case to be made that educational achievement attained in the face of adversity is greater than that achieved with ample support. This pertains to the fundamental injustice of the current system. Ultimately, we all benefit from a university experience that allows us to meet people from all backgrounds and walks of life. The richer the tapestry that makes up the student body the more we have collectively to offer the world.

I’m really proud to have studied at a university that takes its societal responsibilities seriously, but there is always scope for improvement. The opportunities afforded to us at university should be extended as far as possible, so that the University of Sheffield’s founding promise of a University for Sheffield can truly be realised. Sheffield has a good record when it comes to widening participation, and this is reflective of a progressive ethos and the hard work of staff. This is one of the reasons that Sheffield is so great. The challenge now is to take this work to the next level and lead the way and pioneer an approach that places context at the heart of the admissions process.

The University’s motto roughly translates into English as ‘to discover the causes of things’. It also has to be our mission to change things when they are not quite right. An unfair admissions system that allows working class children to believe that university is not for them is the fundamental cause of so much of the structural inequality that exists in society. Let’s work together to change that.

A Level Results Day: Context Matters was originally published in Sheffield Students on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.