Empowered by Vee

2233. Vee Kativhu

Vee’s ambition had always been to attend a Russell Group University, but coming from a lower socio-economic and underrepresented background, she did not feel well-equipped to do so. Following Vee’s successful admission into Oxford University,  she created a YouTube channel to share study tips and resources to empower others applying to university. Vee’s channel grew quickly, and now has over 300,000 followers, inspiring her to launch ‘Empowered By Vee’ in 2018, to provide an online platform to help support students between the ages of 16-25.

Vee, who graduated from Harvard in 2022, and is now undertaking her PhD degree at Claremont Graduate University, also runs an annual academic conference held in Oxford to help young people recognise their academic talents, and is a regular speaker at events and organisations. 

In a personal letter to Vee, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: 

“Through Empowered by Vee, your social media content, and your activism, your leadership is helping to change that. Your message of empowerment and hope, delivered through fun, energetic, and practical content, is helping hundreds of thousands of people to access higher education and reach their full potential.

“I know that you have faced struggles in your own life. But you have used those experiences to inspire and inform others. You have shown through your life and work that no matter who you are, or where you come from, everyone deserves to be heard and to have the opportunity to succeed.”

Vee said:

“‘Empowered By Vee’ is honoured to be recognised in this way for its work as an access to education resource for underrepresented youth in the UK. We will use the momentum gained from this award to keep doing the work and centering the needs of young people as they advance in their academic journeys. As an organisation focused on the advancement of quality education, we hope to see our work expand into schools and see empowerment skill-building become a permanent part of the curriculum. We hope to continue growing in order to serve more students and continue to empower future leaders. ‘Empowered By Vee’ was created by our Founder and Director, award-winning youth activist, Vee Kativhu, to serve those who are underrepresented, underserved and unsupported and are proud to have remained true to our mission. As a youth-led organisation, we hope to see our leaders join this mission of championing youth and making education a priority in their decision-making.”

Find out more about ‘Empowered by Vee’