Asif

At seven, he attended a mosque school every day after school, and at 14 attended the local mosque up to five times a day. Having been assessed as dyslexic at the age of 13, he found his teenage school years difficult and struggled with his confidence.

Seven years on, we filmed him close to completing a law degree at Paisley University, enjoying his studies as well as spending time with friends, listening to music and running.

We've seen you aged seven and 14 - but where are you now?

"I’ve just completed my first degree; BA (Hons) in Law. I am now pursuing my second degree; an MA in Creative Media Practice."

Are you following the path you imagined for yourself when you were those ages?

"I think at age seven I wanted to do many things like most seven year olds do. On 7 Up I said that I wanted to be a mosque teacher. Looking back on it, I think I was just saying what I thought my family wanted me to be. At 14 I knew I wanted to study law, [so] I have followed the path that I imagined for myself to an extent."

And how have your relationships changed?

"In terms of my friends and family, I am not afraid to give my opinions on various subjects. I am no longer in contact with the friends that I had at 14. Since leaving school I feel that I have integrated and created friends from different ethnicities. I’ve also to some extent been given more freedom from my parents than I had at 14."

Looking back to those ages, what advice would you give yourself?

"To be more mindful and take one day at time. To understand that I will not get everything 100 percent perfect and that it’s ok to make mistakes."

Are there any moments you look back on and think ‘perhaps I would have done that differently’?

Yes, I think that human nature is to look at things in retrospect, wishing that we had another chance to perhaps do things differently. However, to be honest whenever I think ‘perhaps I would done that differently’, I usually come to the conclusion that I have learnt a lesson from the moment that I wished to change. Therefore if I am in a similar situation in the future, I know to take a different approach."

Where should we expect to find you when Up returns in seven years' time?

I would like to move away from Glasgow, preferably working as an academic in law or media production. You may also expect to find me fundraising for a mental health charity.