A Random Decision
Daniel Malikzade-Afshar is in his fourth year studying Physics. When he filled in his UCAS form St Andrews was his wild card, so it came as a shock when he discovered he had met the entry requirements and was coming to study here. Now in the final stages of his degree, he describes what St Andrews has given him – and what he has done to give back.
The journey to St Andrews
My parents were refugees who fled to this country with my two siblings and me – literally babes in arms – around 2000. We settled in Essex. Growing up in a small city that hadn’t seen many foreigners meant I grew up dealing with racism and xenophobia. In school, this led to a US prison-like system. The Whites, Blacks and Asians would be segregated unless there was a White vs Blacks football game. I’d find myself not quite fitting into any group: this is 2010–2015, and I’m referring to ethnicities as we did back then.
I rebelled throughout school, constantly being on ‘report’, which meant my behaviour had to be continuously monitored. Occasionally I got away with bribing staff with snacks (I operated a lucrative snack selling business) but ultimately led to more time in detention and isolation. It’s fair to say I had ample opportunity to reflect and meditate. Especially in my final year, when I was placed in solitary confinement in a small room for the last few weeks of my GCSEs.
I performed well in my exams, coming out with the best overall grades in my school. Fast forward to my A-Levels when I looked around me, the boys I had grown up with were getting involved with gangs, drugs and serious violence. I decided it was time to turn things around, particularly my attitude, which I resolved had brought me into escalating sticky situations.
I decided to apply to university, and my tutor helped me to fill in my UCAS form. At that time, I had my heart set on applying to UCL because it was close to home, and they had offered me reduced entry requirements that matched the grades I got in my first year. During one of my tutor meetings, I made a joke about Prince William marrying his classmate. I asked where he went to university and made that my first choice. I just assumed I wouldn’t meet the entry requirements and promptly forgot about it. I had my heart set on UCL. And then, on results day, I got a complete shock – my grades were A*AA – I was going to St Andrews, which I found out was in Scotland. So, I had to tell my parents that instead of studying in London, I had to move away from home.
St Andrews adventures
St Andrews is small, but once I decided to step out of my comfort zone, I discovered it had a lot on offer. I flung myself in at the deep end with the novice Rowing Team, which I joined despite not being able to swim. After a month of getting by under the radar, I stopped taking part in water training when I inevitably failed my first swimming test. But I didn’t let that stop me. A month of waking before lectures, walking miles to the East Sands Leisure Centre and thrashing my way around the pool meant I had just enough skill to pass my second swimming test. I’m still terrified of water, and I can still barely swim, but being on that boat – cold and scared beyond all imagination – pushing through is something I’ll cherish forever.
I also engaged with many different people culturally and politically. I serendipitously met both the Palestinian Year Abroad students studying here and organised a speaker event to share their insights and experiences of life in a country that’s a world away from St Andrews. Growing up in a small town in a conservative household meant I’ve been very close-minded in many ways. But by meeting the people and ideas I previously have struggled to understand has completely changed my beliefs. I hope events like the speaker event I organised and other encounters help open up many more people’s minds to new possibilities.
Giving back
Because St Andrews has given me so much, I decided that I wanted to give back. During my second year, I founded Yes!Cab – a taxi-hailing marketplace – to empower the local taxi industry that has developed over generations to compete with modern global competition like Uber. Launched in 2019, it gained the support of the local taxi drivers and over 700 users in under 6 -weeks. We’ll be re-launching in September 2021!
More recently, I founded studentsofstandrews during the first COVID 19 lockdown- https://www.instagram.com/studentsofstandrews/ – a platform with a mission to share insights that could inspire the mind that changes the world or connect the minds that do. Since launching, it’s receiving a lot of interest, garnering over 100,000 views per month. We’ve featured famous diplomats, scientists, artists and, most recently, Lucy Dale, who worked in a London ICU during the second COVID 19 wave. It’s good to see what those who came before us are doing for current students – especially in the middle of a global pandemic when we need all the help we can get.
I’m currently on a gap year from my studies. In the spirit of rebellion and innovation, I’m pursuing opportunities in blockchain decentralisation, presently working on a startup at the forefront of this field.
Ultimately, growing up in the UK means I have lived a comfortable life with endless opportunities and support networks. Most – although not all – that I have accomplished has been made possible by my parents’ perilous journey across the world with their three young babies 20 years ago when they were both no older than I am now.
I'm so glad you found your niche in St. Andrews while moving out of your comfort zone. For a small Scottish town, it's amazingly open-minded and welcoming as is the University. Kudos to learning how to swim so you could make the rowing team! Obviously you have a lot of initiative, and your earlier misbehavior may be a sign of an active, out-of-the-box mind! Keep on going, with pleasant memories of St. Andrews to buoy you when the going gets tough.