My ex saw me as a ‘downgrade’ from his ‘clever exes’ so I went to Harvard, I’m beautiful & brainy
KATE Black, 30, is a logistics area manager and lives in Coventry.
“Watch Me Shine by Joanna Pacitti is my ultimate girl-power anthem.
The minute I heard it in Legally Blonde, where Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods is dumped by a guy who thinks she’s stupid, I loved it.
It was the perfect tune to play as I prepared to graduate from Harvard University.
Like Elle, my ex had underestimated me.
I met Adam* on a dating website in 2013 when I was 19 and he was 30.
Read More on Fabulous
He’d been to university and ran his own business.
I was instantly attracted to this confident, adventurous guy.
Adam liked how I looked then – with my blonde hair and size-6 figure.
But even though I was at uni studying business and economics, he’d often belittle my intelligence.
Most read in Fabulous
If I said a silly comment, he’d quote it on Facebook.
His friends wrote: ‘Intellect doesn’t matter. She looks good,’ and he’d never called them out.
He clearly saw me as a downgrade from his clever exes and believed I was all beauty and no brains.
When I was 21, I realised I wanted to leave my course as I wasn’t enjoying it, but Adam’s judgement made me feel terrible.
He made it clear that he saw it as a failure.
It was around then that I dyed my hair brunette and switched to a law degree at another university.
But soon I was failing my second year, my self-esteem dropped and I started to believe I really was stupid.
Lost and needing a change, I spent the summer of 2017 working at Camp America.
I had never been dumped before and the break-up hit me very hard
Kate Black
I’d always dreamed of visiting the US, and I used my spare time there to travel.
One of my must-sees was Harvard University.
Ever since I’d seen Legally Blonde at 10 years old, I’d wanted to visit the famous university where Elle studied.
Walking through the campus, I felt a rush of excitement.
I realised I wanted to study there more than anything.
Back home, Adam treated the idea as ridiculous.
Then he told me our relationship was over.
He said I wasn’t smart enough for him and that he needed someone he could talk to about astrophysics.
I had never been dumped before and the break-up hit me very hard.
I’d loved Adam for four years and really thought we had a future together.
Suddenly, that was all gone.
But after just 48 hours of eating ice cream and crying, I decided I was going to prove him wrong.
I was determined to get into Harvard and show him exactly how clever I really was.
In 2018, I got a place at the university’s summer school and spent seven incredible weeks studying there.
With the credits that gave me, and those from the years I’d done at two UK universities, I knew I had a shot at getting in.
Although American university fees are much more expensive than in the UK, I was able to get some financial assistance from Harvard
Kate Black
After applying to study international relations in December 2019, I had an agonising wait.
When I saw the message the following March saying that I had been accepted, I was so shocked and happy, I couldn’t speak.
Although American university fees are much more expensive than in the UK, I was able to get some financial assistance from Harvard.
Still, my fees and living costs came to around £37,000 in total, which I paid for with credit cards as well as by working.
Sadly, the pandemic meant that the first two years of study were done at home.
But in September 2022, I flew out to Boston to take my final year on campus. It was incredible.
I had to pinch myself that it was real. I had actually done it and proved all the doubters wrong
Kate Black
In May 2023, in my cap and gown, I listened to Tom Hanks give a speech as I graduated.
I had to pinch myself that it was real.
I had actually done it and proved all the doubters wrong.
I moved back home and bagged a job as a logistics area manager for Amazon that gives me management experience.
I have also set up my own sustainable swimwear brand.
In my spare time, I’m studying computer science and artificial intelligence online with the University of York and plan to do a Master’s of Business Administration.
I’m grateful now that my relationship broke down, because it led me somewhere incredible.
Just like Elle Woods, my break-up pushed me to follow my dreams.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
What’s more, I’ve now been with my new partner since 2021, and he realises that it is possible to be smart and beautiful.”
- Visit Larushswim.com.