My Gurus

Mr Cornel

Mr Cornel, my fantastic maths teacher at Beaufoy school (now Lilian Baylis School) in Lambeth, was a strong disciplinarian. He had extremely high expectations of his students, and consistently went the extra mile for us. He was an influential role model, particularly for young boys of African and African-Caribbean descent, as he took a strong interest in raising our levels of self-esteem and our ambition. He championed my academic abilities and nicknamed me ‘The Scientist’ in an effort to encourage my aptitude for numbers alongside my love of athletics and basketball. He helped me to aspire to a professional career over a future in competitive sport. I will always be grateful that he introduced me to ideas and aspirations that were outside of my natural comfort zone.