Fighting social housing stigma: meet Yvanah
For as long as she can remember, L&Q resident, Yvanah Kinsiona, 24, has loved gaming.
As a child, she spent hours immersed in other worlds, from fighting to save society as a genetically enhanced marsupial, to journeying across Never-land to find Captain Hook’s treasure.
Far from a solitary activity, the games Yvanah played are at the heart of her family memories. And as a teenager, living in a three-bedroom home in Greenwich – they enabled Yvanah to think big and use her imagination.
“It all started with my Playstation One. I would play Peter Pan, Crash Bandicoot and other old-school games from that era. I’d spend my days on Sims, making the characters and planning storylines. My mum and I would enjoy Professor Layton on the DS, because she loves murder mysteries and puzzles. My cousin and I played console at her house, and my sister and I were into horror games,” said Yvanah.
Aged 16, Yvanah decided to take her love of consoles one step further and try streaming – an activity where people broadcast themselves playing games to a live audience online.
Being live on camera was a great way for Yvanah to express herself creatively, boost her confidence and connect with others.
“I’m comfortable in front of a camera and speaking to people – streaming has played a big part in this” Yvanah continued.
But as thoughts of university approached, Yvanah’s ambition and drive to succeed were about to take her on her biggest adventure yet.
Yvanah is one of L&Q’s Turlogh O’Brien scholarship graduates, a programme giving young people living in financially excluded households an accessible route into higher education.
She first heard about the scholarship programme after moving into her home in 2016. The funding consists of three annual £6,000 contributions towards students’ tuition fees.
“My mum and I were stressed about the financial side of university. She didn’t want me taking out a huge loan which I’d have to start paying back right at the beginning of my adult life. Gaining the scholarship meant I was able to study a Games Design degree at Bournemouth without that weight on my mind.”
“I learned a lot about myself, how to be independent and stand on my own two feet. The me from first year versus me now are so different. I’m more confident in who I am as a person and have embraced my ‘nerdy’ interests.”
Scholarships play a major role when it comes to impacting student success. Sometimes, they even inspire the scholars to strive for more.
“Having that backing from an organisation pushed me harder to get good grades and stay on the right track. It served as a reminder that people out there believed in me enough to support my dreams.”
After finishing university, Yvanah took advantage of the support she received by putting her best foot forward in an internship interview. Much to her delight, she was successful in lining up a dream role straight after her degree finished.
“I work in the production team at Playstation, which involves managing projects from start to finish and making sure everything goes smoothly. I learnt that project management was something I enjoyed after being appointed team lead on a project at university. My degree gave me the technical knowledge needed to work with people from a range of disciplines, including game developers.”
The future looks bright for Yvanah, who is ready and determined to build a career in the industry.
“My dream has always been to work in the games industry and now that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m grateful for the opportunities that this scholarship and my tenancy with L&Q have given me."