Almost ten years after hitting our screens on Educating Yorkshire, Musharaf Asghar has gone from struggling school student to university graduate, and he thanks the teacher who ‘changed his life’.
Musharaf, or Mushy as he was known during his time at school, captured the hearts of people across the country as he struggled with a stammer when he was at school.
Mushy Takes on the King’s Speech
In 2013 Mushy featured in the Channel 4 show, where he and his teacher Mr Burton worked hard to overcome the teen’s struggles.
After seeing the Oscar-winning film, The Kings Speech – during which King George VI underwent a series of unusual techniques to overcome his speech impediment – Mr Burton implemented the techniques shown in the film and got to work helping Mushy for his GCSE English oral exam.
Ultimately, the teen ended the series making a speech to his school, during an assembly which, just like in the movie, was inspiring and emotional for people to hear how far he’d come.
From King’s Speech To The Graduate
Mushy has now graduated from the University of Huddersfield and took to Twitter to share his accomplishments – as well as giving a nod to the teachers who stuck by him.
His post has gathered massive amounts of attention, with many people congratulating him and talking about how inspirational he has been.
Among all the replies to the tweet there’s one that certainly stands out. It seems Mushy’s teacher, Matthew Burton, remembers him just as fondly, as he replied saying how proud he was.
Educating Yorkshire Changed Everything
Speaking to The Mirror back in 2016 Mushy explained the Channel 4 reality show changed everything for him.
‘I can’t thank them enough, giving a boy like me a chance,’ he said.
‘I felt freedom when I stood there speaking, I’d always been trying to speak up, to ask questions, get my opinions out, and in that assembly hall I was able to show people who I actually was.’
The graduate had previously said he’d suffered bullying at school due to his stammer and, prior to receiving help, he’d felt extremely isolated.
Since the show the 24-year-old has become a motivational speaker, alongside his university accomplishments.
