South Asian Heritage Month is a time to celebrate identity, culture, and contribution - but also to reflect on the systems that have made belonging feel conditional for so many of us.

There are always individuals who hold the keys – the gatekeepers - who decide who gets access to opportunity, information, and growth. These systems have long been designed to keep those keys in the hands of people who will protect and preserve what is familiar. That’s how exclusion works: quietly, structurally, and persistently.

As a South Asian woman working in education, I’ve often felt the weight of judgment from those who don’t know me. In many cultures, including my own, appearance carries significant meaning - leading to criticism of my stature, gender, and skin colour. These experiences of prejudice, ignorance, and at times outright hostility have made me question where I belong.

These perceptions and systems don’t just create discomfort - they build barriers. They become glass ceilings and concrete walls that are painful to break through, leaving behind invisible yet deeply felt scars. The most enduring wound is the doubt they plant: the unsettling question of whether you truly have the right to exist and succeed in a system that seems threatened by what you represent.

My heritage is rich with resilience, community, and storytelling. Whenever I think about the strong women who have come before me, I think of the actress Audrey Hepburn’s words, ‘Walk with the knowledge you are never alone’. I also think of the footprints of hard work, hope and integrity, which we continue to leave behind for the next generation to follow.

Unfortunately, throughout my career, I haven’t always seen these values reflected in the environments I’ve been part of. Time and again, it was made clear - sometimes subtly, sometimes explicitly - that I didn’t fit. To deny someone the space and support to grow is one of the most damaging things a leader, especially an educator, can do. It’s not just unkind - it’s a failure of responsibility.

In challenging times, I’ve been grateful for the systems and individuals who didn’t just hold doors open, but who bravely walked through them with me. This support didn’t reimagine space for me, it helped me see that the existing space was always mine to claim. It challenged a stagnant system and bravely introduced inclusion.

Representation and inclusion are invitations to learn what makes this rich tapestry we call humanity special. As we learn more of the unique threads that make up the tapestry, we can strengthen each weft by interlocking our community - so no one is left out, trapped at the frayed edges.

As I’ve progressed into senior leadership, I’ve learnt to recognise the difference between those who truly supported me and those who left me to navigate a maze of narrow gates - tangled in vines, hidden in shadow and guarded by legacy. I’m incredibly grateful to have found organisations and colleagues who cleared the path and reminded me I was worthy of being here.

Now, as a senior leader within Oasis Community Learning, I value being part of a community where I feel seen, heard, and respected. While I didn’t originally set out to be a Deputy Principal – I saw an opportunity to be part of something special at Oasis. The organisation’s warmth and light has always reminded me of the poet, Rumi’s beautiful words: ‘The wound is the place where the light enters you.’

Without Oasis’s overarching kindness and the support of my academy, I wouldn’t have become Deputy Principal – a role that now fits me so well. Becoming the Trust’s National Curriculum Lead for Early Reading wouldn’t have manifested without the guidance and belief of Oasis’s brilliant education team. Nor could I welcome the impactful WomenEd Network into my work if not for the encouragement of a sisterhood of fierce, trailblazing women across the organisation.

Along with Oasis’s supportive systems, I’m hugely grateful to so many brilliant colleagues - from different walks of life, with different identities and experiences – who help me to continue to flourish. Oasis values my culture, my heritage, and my lived experiences. This makes me feel safe, seen and strong. As a leader, I hope that I can do the same for others who face similar barriers as they follow my path.

At Oasis, we know that belonging is nurtured through inclusion - because every human deserves to feel that they belong.

Written by Kiran Satti, Deputy Principal at Oasis Academy Woodview, and National Curriculum Lead for Early Reading