He said his mother through music therapy played a critical role in helping him develop his self-confidence and skills. His mother introduced him to a wide range of music in the hope that it would aid his idea of language.

Jason further said that the various forms of music he listened to got him attracted to popular culture and created a lifelong interest that has characterized some of his research.

He stated that with the help of his mentor and college tutor Sandro Sandri, he eventually started to read and write in his late teens. Jason went on to the University of Surrey, United Kingdom where he earned a degree in Physical Education and Education Studies.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Jason trained to be a Physical Education teacher and by the age of 22, he realized that he wanted to be an academic. He said pursuing a career in academia was not easy as he did not have anyone to guide him on how to go about it.

“Looking back, that was when I first really believed in myself. A lot of academics say they stumbled into this line of work, but from that moment I was determined and focused – I knew that this would be my goal,” he said.

But he persevered by working as a Physical Education lecturer at university during the day and studying sociology at night while drafting academic papers. Though his academic papers were rejected countless times, he did not give up.

“When I started writing academic papers, I had no idea what I was doing. I did not have a mentor and no one ever showed me how to write, Everything I submitted got violently rejected. The peer review process was so cruel, it was almost funny, but I treated it as a learning experience and, perversely, began to enjoy it,” Jason told BBC.

Jason did not allow his health condition to define him. He earned two master’s qualifications, and a doctorate degree in educational studies, and became a sociologist by 2015.

Three years after Jason bagged a sociology degree, he had his first paper published and became a senior lecturer at Roehampton University before he moved to Durham University, where he worked as an associate professor of sociology. 

In 2021, Jason moved to the University of Glasgow’s School of Education working there as a professor of sociology of education. Now, he is a professor at Cambridge, with the goal that ethnic minorities are not underrepresented in higher education.

He said his mother through music therapy played a critical role in helping him develop his self-confidence and skills. His mother introduced him to a wide range of music in the hope that it would aid his idea of language.

Jason further said that the various forms of music he listened to got him attracted to popular culture and created a lifelong interest that has characterized some of his research.

He stated that with the help of his mentor and college tutor Sandro Sandri, he eventually started to read and write in his late teens. Jason went on to the University of Surrey, United Kingdom where he earned a degree in Physical Education and Education Studies.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Jason trained to be a Physical Education teacher and by the age of 22, he realized that he wanted to be an academic. He said pursuing a career in academia was not easy as he did not have anyone to guide him on how to go about it.

“Looking back, that was when I first really believed in myself. A lot of academics say they stumbled into this line of work, but from that moment I was determined and focused – I knew that this would be my goal,” he said.

But he persevered by working as a Physical Education lecturer at university during the day and studying sociology at night while drafting academic papers. Though his academic papers were rejected countless times, he did not give up.

“When I started writing academic papers, I had no idea what I was doing. I did not have a mentor and no one ever showed me how to write, Everything I submitted got violently rejected. The peer review process was so cruel, it was almost funny, but I treated it as a learning experience and, perversely, began to enjoy it,” Jason told BBC.

Jason did not allow his health condition to define him. He earned two master’s qualifications, and a doctorate degree in educational studies, and became a sociologist by 2015.

Three years after Jason bagged a sociology degree, he had his first paper published and became a senior lecturer at Roehampton University before he moved to Durham University, where he worked as an associate professor of sociology. 

In 2021, Jason moved to the University of Glasgow’s School of Education working there as a professor of sociology of education. Now, he is a professor at Cambridge, with the goal that ethnic minorities are not underrepresented in higher education.