Anyone who has ever met me knows that education is something that I am extremely passionate about. As I approach the halfway point of my time as a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, I've been reflecting on the 19 years of education that I've received and how fortunate I am to have had access to the teachers, facilities and funding that led me to where I am today.

I owe much of my academic success to the efforts of my parents. My father is a keen educator who has been involved in everything from running community schools to writing textbooks and setting national exams. In the last few years, he has turned his attention towards his home country of Nigeria, which he left over forty years ago to pursue his tertiary education in a journey that would eventually bring him to the UK. After some recent trips home, he decided to start a charity, Helping Hands for Education, to build a library and education centre to help provide the same opportunities and resources to children from his home town that have allowed his own children to succeed.

To date, they have shipped tens of thousands of books and pieces of school equipment to Nigeria and work has begun on the construction of the centre. However, more money is needed to complete it! To this end, I will be shaving off my beloved afro to raise money for this cause. My last haircut was some time in 2011, so this will certainly be a big change, but it's an easy gesture to make for such a worthy cause. So, whether I've  made you laugh by getting stuck in a tree or you're just sick of me looking untidy—I'm looking at you, mum—please consider giving a donation, every little helps!