UCL’s Student Success Project: Amplifying Underrepresented Voices
Sometimes, the most rewarding part of our work is helping others join the industry themselves. Elvin Musiriza, a Content Creator at POP, experienced this firsthand when he was invited to speak at UCL’s Student Success Project. This initiative aims to amplify underrepresented voices in the creative and advertising industries, helping students see themselves reflected in these fields.
We spoke to Elvin about his journey, the significance of his return to an academic setting as a mentor, and the positive impact of an event designed to inspire the next generation of creative talent.
Elvin’s path into the industry started unconventionally — after a year studying architecture, he pivoted to film production. He graduated from Nottingham Trent University before completing an internship at Havas London, where he worked as an Assistant Producer in advertising. Since then, he has built a career focused on video and film at POP, where he brings a keen eye and creative instinct to the work he produces as a Content Creator.
Elvin was recently invited to speak at UCL (University College London) as part of their Student Success Project, a grant funded initiative led by the Faculty Education Office for Arts & Humanities. The purpose of the project, organized by UCL staff, was to amplify the voices of professionals from underrepresented backgrounds in the creative, media, and advertising industries, with the goal of helping students from similar backgrounds see themselves represented in these fields, and to support the building of professional and peer networks across the faculty.
The connection to the event came naturally — through someone who had also done the Havas Platform internship. “They resonated with my story and reached out about speaking, which made the invitation feel really personal,” said Elvin. “It was especially meaningful that I was selected by someone who came through the same program I did. Being asked by them to speak about my journey into the industry felt like a full-circle moment.”
The event itself consisted of two parts. The first part was a little more abstract: it was a panel discussion with four professionals, including Elvin, when each spoke about their journeys and experiences breaking into the industry. The second part was decidedly practical — a CV and portfolio workshop, giving students direct support. Overall, the workshop was a mixture of teaching real-life skills and building the mindset needed to break into the creative industry.
The event was a resounding success. “The feedback from UCL afterwards was incredibly positive,” said Elvin. “The organizers noted that it was the most students they had ever had attend one of their Student Success events.”
But it was also a success by a different metric — that of Elvin’s own positive experience. “What struck me most was the number of students who came up to me afterwards. That kind of response is hard to anticipate, and it made the whole experience feel genuinely worthwhile,” he said. “I felt I genuinely had something real to offer those students.”
The transition from mentee to mentor went smoothly. “Being on the other side of the room, as the person sharing experience rather than absorbing it, came easier than I’d anticipated,” he said. The whole event was more than just a speaking engagement for Elvin — it truly was a “full circle moment,” as he became the one giving the advice he had received just a few years ago.
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