Growing up, we’ve all seen cliché Hollywood films where a person facing adversity due to a challenging social or economic background obtains upward mobility and leads a comfortable life after an unexpected twist of events changes their fate.
Well, sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. A woman who grew up in foster care and was left homeless at the age of 16 has recently been accepted into Oxford University, an opportunity she describes as “surreal.”
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
“It's still surreal when I walk out into Oxford. You see all these big, fancy buildings, and it's just a whole other world,” she said.
Chloe Pomfret, 20, was separated from her parents and siblings and placed into foster care when she was only five years old. Her parents struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. As she explained, being “taken away” from them felt “traumatic.”
Since her parents struggled with an alcohol and drug addiction, Chloe was placed in foster care when she was only five years old
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
The student spent the following three years living with an “amazing” foster family who “spoiled me rotten.” In fact, Chloe felt so comfortable around them that she referred to this period as “the best years of my life.”
When she was eight, she moved back with her father, with whom she felt like she was “just existing.” As she explained, only an “artificial” relationship tied them together.
The student spent the following three years living with an "amazing" foster family who "spoiled her rotten"
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
At the age of 11, she moved in with her grandfather, who was living with cancer. Her grandad offered her the affection that she never received from her parents, and he was there for Chloe “no matter how stupid I felt, or how silly my behavior was”.
Sadly, he passed away aged 86 in March 2019, leaving his granddaughter devastated.
After some time, she moved in with her grandfather, with whom she had an excellent relationship
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
“Before I went to school, I sat in the armchair (in hospital) and had a five-minute chat with him - it was our last goodbye chat,” she said.
“Then, at about 11:30 a.m., I got a text from my dad saying he's gone.”
The following years were extremely tough for the young woman. Faced with the loss of her grandfather and being forced to return home with her dad, her world crumbled, which translated into “skipping school” and “walking out of lessons.”
Her grandad passed away in 2019, and Chloe was kicked out of her father's home due to her skipping classes at school
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
To make matters worse, her father told her to pack up her bags and go due to her problematic behavior at school.
Chloe was left homeless and felt so “alone and isolated” while living on the streets that she contemplated suicide.
“When you're sitting alone or… walking about the streets of Manchester at two o'clock in the morning, crying, that's when it hits you,” she explained. “That contributed to how suicidal, how low I was feeling… and I just thought I'm never going to find anywhere (to live).”
“When you're sitting alone or… walking about the streets of Manchester at two o'clock in the morning, crying, that's when it hits you,” she explained. “That contributed to how suicidal, how low I was feeling… and I just thought I'm never going to find anywhere (to live).”
The places she slept ranged from people’s couches to A&E (Accident and Emergency Department) waiting rooms and bus shelters. Thanks to her school’s support, she was able to secure a place to live in supported accommodation in 2019.
Little by little, Chloe’s life started to appear more optimistic, and her depression was replaced by a sense of motivation.
Her fate changed last year when she was accepted into the prestigious Oxford University
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
The young woman regained her passion for education, which led her to focus on her A-levels and, later on, apply to the prestigious Oxford University.
During this time, however, her two-year tenancy in supported accommodation had expired, and she risked sleeping on the streets yet again.
Fortunately, this coincided with her admission into Oxford, where she found a new place to live, one that was much more thrilling than she could’ve ever expected.
“You go to formals, where they're serving you food. I have a cleaner that comes and cleans my room, and I just think, ‘What on Earth?’.”
“It makes me feel so grateful that I've had the support to get to where I am. I'm so lucky because other students in my situation wouldn't have had this.”
"Being estranged comes with its difficulties, but it's taught me so much. I'm so resilient, so independent, and I can help other people"
Image credits: Chloe Pomfret
“I just had the mindset of, everything I've been through has been worth it,” she shared.
Now, she’s pursuing a degree in Human Sciences, which is “everything I have ever dreamed of.”
Upon her acceptance at the university, she became co-chair for Class Act, a campaigning organization at Oxford that aims at supporting students from working-class backgrounds, care leavers, and estranged students.
Though she has endured exceptionally challenging situations throughout her life, Chloe says she wouldn’t change a thing.
“Being estranged now comes with its difficulties, but it's taught me so much - I'm so resilient, I'm so independent—and I can use my journey to help people.”
Of course, people congratulated Chloe on her perseverance and huge achievement
