Part 1 - From ‘Educating the East End’ to Harvard Scholar – An Interview with Josiah Senu

Nicole Wise

In this inspiring interview, Josiah Senu discusses his journey so far, battling imposter syndrome, his motivations, and his career ambitions

As the next academic year begins, and with many application windows either already open or opening imminently, the present moment is a pivotal one for those pursuing legal careers. This is a pursuit that littered with challenges and obstacles to overcome. Even after securing places at prestigious universities, and earning placements or permanent positions at leading firms, objectively successful individuals often find themselves doubting their own achievements. They experience pangs of doubt, moments of questioning their ability, and feelings of ‘not belonging’ in an elite environment.

Such feelings of self-doubt, which, on the surface can appear irrational in the light of impressive achievements, are often symptoms of ‘imposter syndrome’. An incredible range of factors can lead to people experiencing imposter syndrome. In causing objectively successful people to doubt their abilities and achievements, imposter syndrome can result in further success and career progression becoming more difficult to achieve.

Given all this, two immediate questions arise; firstly, how do people overcome imposter syndrome? And secondly, how do we, as individuals, organisations, and societies, go about addressing the factors that give rise to the symptoms of imposter syndrome? The Law Hub was fortunate enough to be able to discuss these issues an interview with Josiah Senu, an aspiring commercial barrister.

Josiah has overcome significant obstacles and achieved tremendous success in his journey from an East-End state school to the London School of Economics, and then onto Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar, and now as a Bachelor of Civil Law Candidate at the University of Oxford. Throughout this journey, imposter syndrome has been a near-constant sensation, and a challenge that Josiah is both determined to overcome and help others to do the same.

Educating the East End

Throughout his university education, Josiah’s early years contrasted sharply to most of his fellow students. Born in the small central African country of Gabon, he moved to Germany with his parents, where he lived for seven years, before moving again to Walthamstow, in North-East London. There, he attended the state comprehensive Frederick Bremer School, which was featured on Channel 4’s Educating the East End, as one of the worst-performing schools in the capital.

Despite the disruptive presence of Channel 4’s film crews, Josiah “thoroughly enjoyed his time there” and gained a close-knit group of friends that “continue to provide him with an invaluable support network.” In Josiah’s view, the East-End school aided his cultural and professional formation, enabling him to hone vital interpersonal skills which are essential in client-facing professions, including the bar.

LSE, and a ‘Defining Moment’

However, this environment was a world away from what Josiah encountered when starting at the London School of Economics. Josiah initially felt that he did ‘not appear to be a natural fitting’ LSE student. His casual clothing in lectures contrasted sharply from the majority of the other students on his course, who were typically dressed head-to-toe in expensive formal attire. He could not help but feel like an ‘imposter’.

Rather than let these feelings hold him back, Josiah embraced the challenges in front of him, and began to chart a career path towards the Bar. For Josiah, this profession would satisfy his passion for advocacy and being intellectually stretched and tested on his feet. Propelled by energetic ambition, Josiah became popular and well-known amongst his fellow students and won a number of mooting competitions.

Despite this success, it wasn’t until Josiah’s second year at LSE, and an experience that he described as ‘the most defining moment of his journey to date’, that enabled him to overcome his initial imposter syndrome. He wanted to publish an article in a legal journal, but, believing he wasn’t capable of achieving this alone, enlisted a close friend to help.

Together, they completed the article within a week, and Josiah’s professor, hugely impressed with the quality of the work produced in such a short time span, immediately approved its publication. Josiah stated that seeing his work published alongside esteemed legal professionals and academics allowed him to believe that, despite his unconventional background, he could achieve what these professionals had done, and this belief led to him feeling “unleashed”.

Applying for Harvard

After this achievement, Josiah set his sights on applying for the LLM at Harvard University. Despite his academic credentials, he wondered if this might be a step too far. These doubts were compounded by a university tutor, who, after originally supporting Josiah’s application, suddenly withdrew their support for his reference.

Nonetheless, Josiah persevered and finally submitted his Harvard application. He was then confronted by the astronomical costs of studying at Harvard, which prompted him to apply for the Kennedy Scholarship. This notoriously competitive scholarship, aimed at boosting ‘transatlantic relations’ and enhancing student experiences outside of academic studies, would enable Josiah to cover the entirety of his Harvard tuition fees.

Appearing in front of a horseshoe panel of nine which would decide on the success or failure of his application, Josiah was thrown straight into the deep end with the question “how do you plan to change the world?” After getting through this high-pressured, challenging interview process, to his surprise and delight, Josiah was accepted for the Kennedy Scholarship the very next day. Three months later, his Harvard offer followed, and the world was seemingly his oyster.

Look out tomorrow for part 2 of this interview, which will feature Josiah’s time at Harvard, his experiences working at a start-up and then creating his own, his tips for budding entrepreneurs, and detailed advice on tackling imposter syndrome and wider social mobility issues.