A Pembrokeshire Tesco worker who broke through barriers to attend Oxford University and then to work for a leading US law firm has spoken of the challenges and support she has faced to beat the odds.

Natalie Thomas, 24, from Milford Haven, was the first person in her family to attend university and nearly had her dreams of attending Oxbridge dashed, first through a lack of confidence and then through an administrative error.

“When I was at school I thought I would go to a local university in Wales because I didn’t think it was possible to go to an elite institution, never mind Oxbridge, which was never mentioned by my teachers,” said Natalie.

However, after achieving A grades in all her A levels Natalie decided to apply to Cambridge, but an administrative error scuppered that dream.

“My school didn’t have much experience in helping students with Oxbridge applications, so they forgot to sign me up for their admissions test and my application never went any further,” said Natalie.

She ended up taking a gap year and during this time decided to give Oxford a shot.

“I didn’t think I’d actually get in as my school couldn’t provide me with much application support as no one had gone through the process there before,” she said. “I kept it a secret from my friends and family.”

Natalie also signed up to free technology platform Zero Gravity, that powers thousands of low-opportunity students into top universities and careers through mentoring, masterclasses, and networking.

“Zero Gravity paired me with a mentor who was a first year history student at Oxford ,” said Natalie.

(Image: Natalie Thomas)

“She supported me through the whole application process. It instilled so much confidence in me, as she gave me guidance that no one else around me could give. I don’t think I would have ever gotten into Oxford without her support.”

While at Oxford Natalie, who also took a mentoring role with Zero Gravity, thought about a career in law but didn’t know how to get started.

“I was unaware of the processes to get a professional job in the sector,” she said.

Natalie graduated with a 2.1 honours degree and moved back home to Milford Haven to work part time at Tesco while applying for law vacation schemes.

Once again Zero Gravity came to her aid and within a few months Natalie moved to London and joined it’s chair Ian Bagshaw’s advisory company, consulting for charities, organisations and law firms.

She was then recruited into US law firm Perkins Coie, as a legal business analyst in the new London office.

(Image: Natalie Thomas)

Natalie is working on creating an accessible training contract programme for graduates at Perkins Coie.

“Law is a sector that can be difficult for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds to get into but then also stay in. I know that from my own experience and want to help change that,” she said.

As part of this, Perkins Coie has partnered with Zero Gravity to hire more socially mobile talent into the business, to unlock the untapped potential of these talented individuals.

“We know that people from low opportunity backgrounds add great value to businesses, from innovative ideas, to resilience and drive,” said Nathalie. “This talent base is perfect to help us launch Perkins in Europe and join us on the journey.”