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This Cambridge Student Has The Perfect Clapback To Racist & Sexist Trolls

Anna Foley
Last Updated 1 August 2017, 2:10
Photographed by Nicolas Bloise.
Courtney Daniella is an accomplished young woman. Her beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel has more than 30,000 subscribers, and she has more than 5,000 followers on Twitter. Oh, and she’s also studying Human, Social, and Political Sciences at Cambridge University. No big deal.
Despite her success both in academia and online, Daniella says she still faces a lot of hate from trolls online who say the only got into Cambridge because she’s black. So she responded to those trolls with the most perfect tweet thread.
She begins by saying, "Do you know how many times I get comments on YT and even @'d about how 'lucky' I must feel to got to @Cambridge_Uni and how the 'quota' needing to be met was my biggest helper [?]"
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Daniella basically says that just like every other student at Cambridge, she earned her spot at the school. She told Metro that despite her academic achievements, she still meets a lot of resistance just because of who she is.
"When people think of the Cambridge student, they do not only think of someone who has achieved A*AA (in their A Levels), but that student has a race and a gender – a white male," she told Metro UK. "Everyone outside of that immediately has their achievement questioned."
In her tweet thread, she makes sure to mention that she aced her A levels, which are equivalent to AP tests and courses in the United States. Oh, and she throws in a snarky GIF for good measure.
Daniella’s message is clear: She belongs at Cambridge. "Again its the idea that 'we' as [black and minority ethnic] students should be grateful that elite universities will even “give us” the opportunity to study there," she told Metro. "Implying that we are less deserving or simply incapable of actually meeting the grades and earning our place."
Daniella’s thread of truth hit home with a lot of people. Her first tweet has been retweeted almost 2,000 times, and amassed more than 3,000 favourites. Plus, other Twitter users sent Daniella messages of encouragement. There was no room for trolls on this thread.
Daniella told Metro she hopes more black girls will consider applying to Cambridge. Here's hoping her tweet thread inspired some future students.
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