Elizabeth Garrett Anderson alumnae Hackney councillor Jasmine Martins, Dr Khadija Owusu, Eunice Obianagha and Olga Popiolek spoke at the launch

MICHELLE Obama is well known to be a big fan of Islington secondary Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and the former “first lady” has now endorsed the school’s new charity aiming to address inequality among its students.

EGA has “phenomenal outcomes” in the classroom, headteacher Sarah Beagley told the Tribune this week, but doesn’t always have the resources to provide the extras that are a given to private schools or for children with wealthy families – trips abroad, university visits, mentors.

“It’s that old saying: if you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” Ms Beagley said.

“Our passion is to ensure that the children here are represented in businesses, organisations and government – making sure they have that route through.

“It’s not just about knocking on the door, it’s about throwing the door wide open.”

At the charity launch on October 9, four alumnae talked about their careers – in medicine, music and politics.

Currently, EGA’s “Scholars Programme” gives additional opportunities to small groups of pupils, but the hope is that the EGA Charity can extend that to a wider group. “Rather than saying, ‘we can’t afford that’, we thought, ‘let’s challenge that’,” added Ms Beagley.

A representative from the Obama Foundation also spoke at the launch, and Ms Obama sent a letter, saying EGA “holds such a special place in my heart”.

She visited the school in 2009 and 2011 and had a video call with pupils in 2021.

As for where the funding will come from, the school is casting its net far and wide. It is calling on the local community and businesses to stump up support, whether a small monthly donation or a larger one-off.