This quote is one I used in my first intervention, and came from a casual conversation I had with a student at UAL. I spoke to her further about it, and she told me that she has often joined dating apps for the purpose of finding someone to buy her dinner when she is struggling. It makes her feel guilty for using people that way but she can’t ask her family for financial help. She told me that her family would help but then they would have to go without something.

Later in the conversation we spoke about how hard it is to look around at UAL and see students in designer clothes covered in paint when she could only dream of owning something so expensive. I asked her if she was jealous, and she said yes. But also she wished that people would be less oblivious to the fact that not everyone can afford such luxurious items.

After reflecting on this conversation, I think that this could be a common misconception about students who come from less fortunate backgrounds. Yes, they might be jealous about not having money to buy fancy items with but that is not the sole factor in feeling inferior to their fellow students. This could echo back to the article I read about uncomfortable interactions with fellow students.(https://felicityyvette.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2022/07/21/uncomfortable-interactions/)