Passion. Community. Transformative. Three words PhD student Bradley Neal uses to describe what The Open University means to him. It’s why he chose to be a Futuremaker at the OU’s first ever Giving Day in July.
During the 36-hour challenge, generous fundraisers and donors, many of them alumni, came together to raise over £150,000 for the life-changing Open Futures Fund. Thanks to this incredible collective effort, even more disadvantaged students who are struggling to access education, will get the financial support they need to rewrite their futures.
Bradley knows this struggle all too well. Before he started his OU journey, he felt like he was falling by the wayside as people younger than him were moving faster and getting further. “I performed poorly during my compulsory education, largely due to poor mental health brought on by numerous factors including being a gay man, both accepting that as valid and wrestling with how it would be perceived. For a long time, I felt a part of me was broken.”
While Bradley was at secondary school, Section 28 ended: “It was an extremely challenging time to be LGBTQ+ in the UK,” he says. After a long battle to find self-acceptance, he soon found his place at the OU. “I have been accepted both as an undergraduate and a PhD student. I even discussed exploration of gender identity during my PhD interview. I was made to feel comfortable, and nothing was awkward or weird. I’m a member of OU Pride too.”
Studying with the OU helped Bradley focus on his passion and career goals when life got difficult. It gave him a sense of pride. Obtaining a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science was a life-long ambition of his. It soon set him on the right path and taught him to be proud of his own achievements.
“When my results were confirmed, and my certificate arrived it felt amazing. Even though I was already on a new academic journey, this certificate represented 6 years of challenging work, determination, and dedication, as well as passion. It underpins everything I went through... I had grown massively as a scientist and researcher, but as a person too.”
Bradley hopes to teach at university himself someday and inspire others who feel disillusioned by education. It’s why he chose to take part in this year’s Giving Day – to help break down the barriers that are holding people back from achieving their career goals.
“I was motivated to become a Futuremaker to support an institution I love and encourage others to see what an amazing community the OU Family is. When I was an undergraduate, I had a period when I was extremely poor which coincided with my laptop breaking. It would have been completely impossible to complete a distance learning degree without it and do things that the modern world requires a computer for in general.”
OU charity, OUSET, gave Bradley enough money to buy a laptop replacement. To some, having to replace a laptop is nothing more than a nuisance, but to Bradley it was the difference between giving up on his studies and completing his degree.
Bradley wanted to use Giving Day as an opportunity to give back to a system that helped support him through a period of adversity. “For my activity I wanted to apply the skills that the OU taught me to demonstrate the level of expertise that this institution can offer when you study Environmental Science. I applied skills from my master’s degree, along with my huge passion for the natural environment to perform a sort of ‘walking’ taxonomy lesson.”
For his activity as a Futuremaker, Bradley walked through Tattenhoe Valley and Howe Park Wood and identified anything interesting he encountered on his path. “It was so fun, I saw lots and learnt plenty too. The best part was discovering something new, an absolutely stunning meadow of Betony, indicating this area is probably very old. I also managed to triple my target, while encouraging people to donate to a compelling cause. I have plans to do this again next year, with at least one zoologist (my best buddy, Ellen!) and a handful of other fantastic ecologists I am friends with.”
If you’re thinking of being a Futuremaker for next year’s OU Giving Day, Bradley has one piece of advice. “Just have fun with it. I picked something I thought I was good at, and other people might enjoy. My idea was unconventional, but it convinced enough people that it was a fun enough idea to support Giving Day which was of course the purpose of it to begin with.”
In being a Futuremaker and raising money for the Open Futures Fund, Bradley is helping give those who have struggled with mainstream education the opportunity to succeed. “To be awarded a scholarship is life changing in itself, so I hoped my contribution could support funding a full education for someone who really needs it.”
Bradley is now undertaking a PhD – one step closer to achieving his goal of becoming a Senior Lectuerer in Ecology and Conservation. “My OU degree has taken me from various retail jobs to managing a school laboratory to post-graduate researcher. My personal and professional growth has been immense, and the OU fostered that.”