I have been feeling so inspired recently, so I am writing in a way that brings me joy. I am feeling grateful, so I am writing in a way that appreciates those around me. I feel a new rush of motivation, so I am writing to hopefully pass that feeling onto at least one person. Inspiration comes and goes, but passion stays forever . What keeps people going? This is a question I first started answering for my PhD research ' career trajectories of racialised minority staff and alumni in UK higher education ', questioning what enablers and barriers are present in the higher education environment. I then started to explore this question in my own life, in my own activist work: Why am I here? Why do people do this work? Its so difficult... so whats the point? Stats Statistically, it is very unlikely I can become a successful academic. Looking at HESA data for myself, out of 21,920 UK Female research and teaching staff in full-time employment, only 2.3% are 'Mixed'. And let me