Meet Mo, one of our Rising Stars

After coming to the UK at the age of 20 seeking asylum, Mo experienced a lot of rejection before finally being granted the right to live and work in the UK. But when Covid hit, he found himself without a job or a place to stay. 

That’s when he reached out to The Pret Foundation’s Rising Stars Programme. 

"If I didn’t have this job, I don’t know what I would have done. Thankfully, I was able to find somewhere to live and could continue to pay rent."  

"I’m now training to become a barista and I’m also in my first year studying business management at university. The Rising Stars programme has enabled this and I’m so grateful." Mo    

We’re so proud of Mo and all our 525 Rising Stars that have graduated since we started the programme in 2008.   

What's next for Mo?

We caught up with Mo over a Pret coffee and asked him how he feels about graduating and what the future holds.

Congratulations Mo! How does it feel to have graduated the Rising Stars programme? 

It feels so great knowing that I have achieved something that will have a huge effect on my future and my life. 

What was the most challenging part for you?  

Working for Pret has brought me loads of great memories and friends. But changing my behaviour was quite challenging – especially when I felt stressed or under pressure. But if you are willing to change and build a better version of yourself, this programme is an opportunity. I would tell anyone to embrace it. 

What have you learned about yourself?  

I have had the opportunity to work closely with people and customers, and I’ve realised how happy I am when I try to make people smile.  

What does the future look like? 

The Pret Foundation has helped me with my basic needs of food, a place to live, a job so I am now able to think about myself and my future, which looks so much easier and much more tangible than before. 

Support our Rising Stars

Living on the streets shouldn’t become a reality. With your support, we can offer more lifelines to people like Mo. Since launching, we have trained and offered jobs to over 500 people and welcomed them into the team at Pret.

But we want to do more.  Just £10 could pay for an initial assessment with our Employment and Shelter Manager, meaning we can get more people like Mo on to our Rising Stars programme and give them a chance to shine.