ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors trace the temporality and potentiality of aspiration among students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are educationally successful. They argue that aspiration is dynamic, with rational, affective and imaginative dimensions, and that it requires strategic intentionality that develops over time within families, communities, schools and universities. The authors map these trajectories through case studies of Alana, Keshi and Omar, three university students who were awarded equity scholarships to attend university based on academic results, personal needs and personal qualities. They draw upon narratives written for the scholarship application in their final year of high school, university academic records and interviews conducted two to four years into their degrees. The authors explore how modes of aspirations interact in their narratives, how they are capacitated and resourced towards the possible futures that they had envisaged, and how they understand obstacles that have emerged along the way.
