MELODY HOSSAINI didn’t quite make it as Lord Sugar’s apprentice on TV, but she told pupils at Oxford Spires Academy it was important never to give up on your goals.

The 26-year-old former Oxford Brookes University student went to the East Oxford school to speak about her experiences and inspire pupils to push for their dreams.

After arriving in a personalised Mini, she told the students her fiancé, who she met at Brookes, was a pupil at the Glanville Road school in its previous incarnation as Oxford Boys School.

After talking about her time on BBC1 show The Apprentice and how she set up a social enterprise company Inspir-Engage International, which gives ‘life skills’ training to young people, she challenged the pupils to write down their vision and work to make it come true.

Sixth-form student Aweys Hirabe, 20, from Cowley, said his goal was to build a community in his native Somalia.

He said: “All the time we get told we can’t, and she was saying ‘why can’t you?’ “That empowers you.

“It helped us understand you can do something you are passionate about.”

Fourteen-year-old Yusuf Hassan, from Rose Hill, described Miss Hossaini as “inspirational”.

He said: “She was funny at times and she looked very pretty.”

Sufyan Javaid, 17, from Headington, said his vision was to be the head of his own charity, helping the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

He said: “It was interesting that we had someone we related to – a younger person who has made something of herself from her own bedroom.

“It was really motivating.”

Azfa Ali, 17, from Cowley, added: “She inspired me to take my passion of creative writing and actually make it into something I would do in the future.”

Miss Hossaini told her audience education was important to open doors and as a fall-back, but said they should try to follow their passion.

She said: “It’s not magic.

“It’s not a rich father or like someone came along and said ‘here is the ticket to your future’.”

She told the youngsters she did not regret her time on The Apprentice, which stars entrepreneur Lord Sugar, after making it to the 10th of 12 shows last year.

But she also said she would not want to go back.

Miss Hossaini is from Iran and her family left as asylum seekers and refugees starting from nothing after fleeing war.

She said: “No matter where you come from, don’t let the difficulties be the driving force.”

Miss Hossaini’s visit follows on from the Duchess of Cambridge last month. The visit was arranged by Sobia Afridi from Brookes’ widening participation team.