Do you need to struggle to be successful? The writer and actress Michaela Coel overcame huge hurdles to have a top career in the television world.
The misfit loving the power of standing out
Do you need to struggle to be successful? The writer and actress Michaela Coel overcame huge hurdles to have a top career in the television world.
What's happening?
Growing up, Michaela Coel felt like she never fit in. Now, she is a writer and actress and one of the biggest names in television.
Coel's parents came to London from GhanaA country in West Africa. . She was the only Black girl in her class at school.
As a teenager, she started writing and performing her own poems. She was spotted by a famous playwrightA person who writes plays. , who told her she should be an actress.
At drama school, she was the only person whose family did not own their house. "There's blessings to the struggle," she says.
During her time at drama school, she wrote a play about a schoolgirl in London. It later became a TV show, which won two BAFTAsAn award given at the British Academy Film Awards ceremony. .
Find out more
Do you need to struggle to be successful?
Yes! Difficult times force you to show the world what you can do. The harder the struggle, the greater the success.
No! Some people are born with amazing talents that bring them great success. There is no need to suffer.
Keywords
Ghana - A country in West Africa.
Playwright - A person who writes plays.
BAFTAs - An award given at the British Academy Film Awards ceremony.
The misfit loving the power of standing out
Glossary
Ghana - A country in West Africa.
Playwright - A person who writes plays.
BAFTAs - An award given at the British Academy Film Awards ceremony.