Meet the Widening Access team

Gina Da Silva

Widening Access Manager

I am the Widening Access Team Manager and have the privilege of overseeing the fantastic work of the team.

Having started my journey into Higher Education Widening Access and Participation as an Officer myself, I know the amazing impact our interventions can have with prospective students.

Our team is a part of The Student Journey Division at the University, and our work directly feeds into our important and ambitious Access and Participation Plan.

Ebony Beckford

Widening Access Officer

I have worked within Higher Education for the past 3 years as a Widening Access Officer. My previous job roles have contributed to my passion for working with young people and families to provide opportunities and information to help inform decisions about their future.

I enjoy working with students during workshops and campus visits. My favourite time of year is during both our Spring and Summer residentials where I have an opportunity to see the students' confidence grow, build networking skills, and gain independence.

James Casey

Widening Access Officer

I joined the Widening Access Team in March 2024, having previously worked in the Schools Liaison Team. I am also alumni of Royal Holloway, having graduated with a BA and MA in 2021. I am excited to support students on their journey to higher education, with my main areas of focus being our Summer Residential and the Brilliant Club.

Joe Casey

Widening Access Officer

I have recently joined the Widening Access team having previously worked in Student Accommodation. Before joining Royal Holloway I worked as a primary school teacher in London and Surrey. My area of focus is Royal Holloway's Link programme - a mentor scheme for Year 13s.

Jonathan Baldwin

HEON (Higher Education Outreach Network) Partner Officer

I'm passionate about widening participation in Higher Education, and supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in general. My love for this field of work grew when working in a comprehensive school in London, which I sadly had to leave so as to focus on my PhD studies at Royal Holloway. After completing my doctorate (in History), I decided to go back to working with schools, and the Higher Education Outreach Network Officer role at Royal Holloway was the perfect opportunity.

The Higher Education Outreach Network is part of the Uni Connect programme, a consortia of universities, colleges and other partners that offer activities, advice and information on the benefits and realities of going to university or college. I work with a select group of target schools and colleges in Surrey, and collaborate closely with the Widening Access Team to continue to build on my existing work with local schools.

Emilia O'Driscoll

Data and Evaluation Officer

My main area of focus is developing and integrating data and evaluation processes across the team. A large part of this involves designing and distributing all of our evaluation to allow us to monitor our progress against targets and improve on our future offering for students. To allow us to effectively track and report on our activities I lead on our partnership with HEAT (Higher Education Access Tracker) which is instrumental to this work.

I really enjoy assisting the team in the great work that they do providing students with information and guidance to support their journey into Higher Education, it is a pleasure to read all of the fantastic feedback we receive and understand first-hand the impact their work has!