Humans of York: Chris
"Christmas has always been complicated for me. Even now, with my own family, I still feel it. Growing up in care, Christmas was a constant reminder of what was missing."
This week's Human of York is alum Chris, the founder of our Christmas Stocking Appeal, which supports care experienced students over the festive period.
But Chris' experience with the care system started long before this. In fact, when he applied to study at York, he became the first care-leaver from North Yorkshire ever to do so under the Leaving Care act.
Chris said: "It wasn’t a badge of honour for me, it was a stark reminder of how few care-experienced young people were accessing higher education at that time.
"Being care-experienced, you don’t have the same network of family or financial safety net that many of your peers take for granted.
"Growing up as part of the care system, higher education felt like an unlikely goal, a distant possibility at best. York changed all of that for me."
After finishing his degree, Chris went on to secure a job here at York, where he took particular pride in developing the University's support for care-experienced students. He's founder of our annual Christmas Stocking Appeal, which hopes to to care-experienced students over the festive period.
Now, almost a decade later, it's a core part of our festive activity. It's just one of the ways we're working to become the University of Opportunity, widening access and offering equal opportunities for students who have experienced barriers in accessing or engaging with higher education.
Chris said: "Christmas has always been complicated for me. Even now, with my own family, I still feel it.
"Growing up in care, Christmas was a constant reminder of what was missing. You see adverts showing happy families, hear songs about being home for the holidays, and everywhere you look, it’s this overwhelming message of togetherness.
"That’s why I started the appeal. It’s not about the monetary value of the gifts, it’s about the thought behind them. It’s about showing these students that someone cares, that they’re not alone, and that they belong.”
Read the full interview with ChrisChris, Humans of York, November 2025