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IMPACT REPORT 2016Scholarships at Warwick

Supporting gifted and talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds

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I become quite overwhelmed at times knowing that someone out there, who does not know me, has placed faith in me like this.

Atfirstmyconfidenceinmyacademicabilitywas low. Coming from a school ranked in the bottom40%ofthecountry,Iseriouslydoubtedwhether I belonged in such a prestigious institution, and whether a student from a workingclassbackgroundcouldtrulygoontobe a real success. But after seeing the faith and opportunitythatyouhaveplacedinmeandothers I realised there are opportunities out there for me; I just need to take and embrace them.Soinaway,mymentalityhascompletelychangedoverthecourseofthisyearandyoursupportasadonorwasundoubtedlyakeyfactor in this development.

AftercompletingmyexamsthisyearIleftwith

Warwick Scholars’ Programme (WSP) (formerly Benefactors)

Daniela SordilloFirst year, BSc Biochemistry

Tomyanonymousdonor:helloandthankyouforyourgenerousgift!Ihavebeenwaitingallyearforthechancetospeaktoyou;andwhatanamazingyearit’sbeen.

I’vehadgreatopportunitiesthisyear,andwhilstthey’vescaredme,I’mnotonetopassthemup.IwasaspeakeratWarwick’sWIDEevent, something offered to me in thefirstweekofterm!I’mgoingtobe part of a national campaign for Advancing Access, bringing higher educationcloserto13-17yearoldsfromdisadvantagedbackgrounds, and a Brightside mentor to help reach youngpeopleandmakehighereducationarealityforthem too.

Notknowingwhoyouarehasbeeninteresting.Ifindmyselfthinkingmoredeeplyabout how I treat others, sinceIcouldpotentiallyencounteryouatanytime,andinmypart-timejob,Istrive with strengthened vigourtotreateverycustomer as I would treat you.Howincredibleitisthatyourselflessgifthasaffectedmesoprofoundly.

The scholarship has been like having a gentle hand behind me to spur me on when I felt overwhelmed; a quiet reminder that someone believed in me, more thanIbelievedinmyself.Thankyou.

a2:1,readytostartmysecondyear,whichIamdelightedwith,andifanything,thishasinspiredmefurthertocarryonworkinghard.ThankstoyoursupportIhavefoundnewconfidenceinmyselftostrivetowardsbecomingatopsolicitor,andwillsoonbeapplyingforvacationschemeswithlawfirms.

Youhavealsolightenedmyfinancialburden,downto the simple things like getting involved in sports (football is a great passion of mine) and not having tostressaboutmoneyorfeelembarrassed.It’scompletelychangedthedynamicofmyfirstyearatWarwick.ForthisreasonwordswillnevertrulybeenoughtothankyouforyourgenerositybutIcancertainlytellyouthatyoursupporthasmadea real difference; a difference that has inspired me andonethatIwillnottakeforgranted.Icanonlyoffermyeternalgratitudetoyouforalltheaidyouhaveoffered–thankyou!

Harry KleinFirstyear,BAHistory

It has been a fantastic year for scholarship at Warwick. Social mobility and access to educational opportunity are growing challenges to society, yet you have helped more people than ever before embark upon their journey here.

ThisOctober,68first-yearstudentswillreceiveascholarshipfundedbydonorstoWarwick,providingthemwithacashbursaryof£2,000peryearoftheirdegree.Thisisthehighestnumberofscholarshipswe’veeverawarded.Theywilljoinmorethan150scholarsacross18academicdepartments.Thankstoyourkindness,wehavebeenableto treble the total number of scholars that we are able to supportinunderthreeyears.

WehaveworkedparticularlyhardintheSchoolofEngineering.WeintroducedtheMulticulturalScholarsProgramme, which seeks to help the least represented ethnic groups in higher education. There is also a Women in Engineeringprogramme,attemptingtoaddresstheunder-representationofwomenintheengineeringindustry.

As the number of scholars grows, so too does the number of events and activities that we deliver. This yearweintroduced“SeizetheDay”;atwo-daycareersworkshoptosupportscholars’personaldevelopment,including:assertivenesstraining,insightsintoorganisational structures and politics, and assistance with networking, CV writing and interview techniques. Thisyearwewillalsointroduceaninternshipschemethatwillprovidebursariesof£750tohelp25scholarsundertake opportunities during the summer vacation.

Thestudentfinanceteamdeliveredmoneymanagementsessions to help scholars get the most out of their bursaries

Scholarship ImpactReport

andprepareforcostsduring(andafter)university.

We also held an inaugural scholarship celebration event in the Shard, the London base of Warwick Business School.Thiswasawonderfulopportunitytointroducescholarstothedonorcommunityandallowedthemtopractice their networking skills. This event, coupled with anendofyeardinnerheldoncampus,wereextremelywellreceivedbythescholarsanddonorsalike.

Beyondthescholarshipprogramme,wewerenamedasaleadpartnerinaresearchstudyseekingtounderstandtheefficacyofeducationaloutreach.InpartnershipwiththeSuttonTrust,Warwick’sDrClaireCrawfordandotherswillinvestigate how best to evaluate outreach programmes andtheirimpactonindividualsandcommunities.DrCrawfordsaid,“Ourhopeisthatbybringingtogetheracademics and practitioners from a range of institutions, the guidance we produce will be pragmatic and practical, butstillunderpinnedbyrigorousmethods,givinginstitutions the tools to produce robust evaluations of their ownoutreachschemesinfuture.”

Thebestwaytoshowyoutheimpactofyoursupportisbyintroducingyoutothebeneficiariesdirectly.Thisreport features testimonials from scholars in their own words.I’msureyouwillbepleasedtolearnhowyourkindness has contributed to their time at Warwick.

FromallofusatWarwick,thankyouforyourgenerosity.Wehopeyou’llbeinspiredtohelpourstudentslongintothe future.

Luke TaylorAssociateDirectorofDevelopment

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ThisyearatWarwickhasbeengreatandIcouldnothavedoneitwithoutyoursupport.Eventhemost simple things that I almost take for granted areonlypossiblethankstothisscholarshipprogramme.DuetothefinancialaidIreceive,Ihaven’thadtotakeapart-timejobduringterm;Iamabletofocuswhollyonmystudies,andcangetallmyreadingdoneeveryweekandallofmyassignmentshandedinontime.MygradesaregoodandIwasluckyenoughtofinishmysecondyearwithaFirst.

I am so thankful to not have to spend a lot of timeworryingaboutmyfinances,whichisabigconcern for a lot of students – even more so now that grants are being abolished and replaced with even more loans (and thus debt). Knowing thatsomeoneisgenerouslyhelpingtofundmystudies feels even more astonishing with this is mind.ThefinancialaidmeansIcanbecertainthatIcanpaymyrentandmybillswithouttoomuch issue, and that in itself is a gift. But the moneyalsohelpsmeinday-to-dayways!Ihavebeenluckyenoughtoseevarioustheatreperformances, to visit a publishing house to get aninsightintotheirwork,tospendmysparetimewriting articles for the local paper and editing a student journal.

Ithinkthisyearhashelpedmematurealotas a person – living alone with three other studentshasbeenbothchallengingandreallyfun, and a big change from halls. At the end ofourfirstterminourlittlehouse,wehada big Christmas dinner together. We wore festivejumpers,hadaturkeydinnerwithallthetrimmings,exchangedSecretSantapresentsand decorated our space with a tree and paper

ThankyouforfundingmydegreeatWarwick.Yougavemefinancialsecurity,allowingmetoconcentratemoreonmystudies,andbecauseofthisIpassedthethirdyearofmycourseandwillnowbegoingintomyMastersinOrganicChemistry.Thankyouforyoursupportwhichmademytimeatuniversitynotonlyeasier,butalsomoreenjoyable.

Sam MartinFourthyear,MChemChemistry

Warwick Scholars’ Programme (continued)

chainsandsnowflakes.Itwasgreatandreallyhelpeduscometogetherlikeafamily.

MymainaimfortheupcomingyearistokeepachievingashighlyasIcanacademically.I’malsotaking a programme for female undergraduates tohelpwithconfidence,networking,motivationandleadershiptoimprovemypersonaldevelopment. Knowing that someone else believesinmeandmyeducationisthebestfeeling–thankyou.

Beccy Willmetts Secondyear,BAEnglishLiterature

Marlie CummingsThird year, BSc Biomedical Science

Universityhasbeenthebesttimeofmylife,andIcouldn’thavedoneitwithoutthesupportfromthescholarshipprogrammeandespeciallymydonor.Coming from a single-parent household, and as the firstpersoninmyfamilytogotouniversity,thesupportofferedbymygranthasbeeninvaluableinreducingthefinancialstressofstudying.What’smore,asascholarIhavefeltaresponsibilitytoupholdahighstandardofachievement,bothacademicandextra-curricular,andassuchIhavebeeninspiredtoreallymakethemostofmyuniversityexperience.IwassoproudtograduateinJulywithaFirstClassBiomedical

Thankyouforyourkindnessinprovidingmewiththechanceandsupportingmystudentlife.I’llneverforgetit.IamnowateamleaderintheDepartmentforWorkandPensionsandIhopethatonedaywhenIreachmydreamsIcanbeasgenerousasyouhavebeeninprovidingmewiththisscholarship.Ittrulyislifechanging.Ican’tthankyouenough.

Nicole Hyare Graduate,BScPsychology

Science degree, as it was something I neverthoughtI’dbeabletoachieve.I’mhonoured to be one ofthefirstgraduatesof the scholarship programme, and one dayIhopeIwillbeableto help another student asmuchasyouhavehelped me.

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Ivalueeverypennythathasbeenputintotheprogramme;youreffortshavelaidthefoundations for the career path for students likemyself.Beingfromalow-income,inner-cityhousehold,fundinghasalwaysbeenanissue for me, and the scholarship has helped tremendously,payingforbooks,stationeryandlaptoprepairs.I’vemetpeoplefromsimilarbackgrounds and made friends for life, and learnt the importance of leaving an impression whilst at the same time being as genuine as possible. MyfriendsbackinLondonhavealsonoticedadifferenceinme;sayingIhavebecomemoreconfident,especiallyaroundunfamiliarpeople.

Icanonlythankyouforbeingcommittedtohelpingstudentsfromminoritybackgrounds.You make a real difference. You have sparked aphilanthropicflamewithinme,andIhavedecidedthatinthefutureIwilldedicatemylifetohelpingothers,justasyouhavehelpedme.Foraidingmethroughdifficulttimes,giving me friends who I will never forget and being dedicated to supporting me. I would like tosaythankyou,youreffortswillforeverberemembered.

Minhaz Waris Secondyear,LLBLaw

I grew up in the second most deprived borough intheUK,facedchallengesinmyacademicdevelopment,andamthefirstinmyimmediatefamilytoattenduniversity.You’veofferedmeopportunities to break those social barriers and achieveexceedinglywell.Ihavehadathrilling,stimulating, and adventurous time so far at Warwick,andacademicallyIhavegonefromstrength to strength. I secured a First Class mark inmyfirstyearandgainedinternshipswith20groupsincludingLloydsBank.Yourfundinghelped cover travel and accommodation costs for these, and also helped me to create two start-up businesseswhicharebeginningtoexpand.

Withoutyounoneofthiswouldhavebeenpossible.IfIevergoontohaveafilmmadeaboutmeasthenextMarkZuckerberg,Ihaveyoutothankandwouldhopeyouranonymityisnomoresoyoucanstarwithme!

Ionedayhopetobeinasituationthatyouareand give back. To be humble. To disseminate wealthtopromoteknowledge–“knowledgeispower”.Ihopeasadonoryouseethemagnitudeoftheeffectyouhaveonstudentssuchasmyself.Thesmallthingsaddup,andthesnowball effect of the funding means I will never trulybeabletoexpressmygratitudetoyou.Thankyouforeverything.

Nahim Miah Firstyear,BALawandBusinessStudies

IhavejustfinishedmyfirstyearofmyEngineeringdegreeandIcanhonestlysayit’sbeenwonderful.ThebestthingaboutmysubjectthisyearisthatIenjoyit!Iamalsostrengtheningmycareerprospectsthroughmentoringandindustrysupportaswellashelpingtoinspireyoungwomenintoengineeringasacareer.Iamverypassionateaboutengineeringandfeeltherearelotsofwomenwhocanbringalottotheindustry.Themonetaryaspectofthescholarshipisofcourseveryhelpful.IthasmeantIhaven’thadtoworktofundmystudiesandhasenabledmetoconcentrateonstudyingwhichhasreallyhelpedmygrades.Thankyoufortheopportunityyouhavegivenme,Ireallywanttomakeyouproud.

Carys Evans Firstyear,BEngEngineering

Nadim Somani First year, LLB Law

TheMSPshapedmyfirstyearatuniversityinanumberofamazingways.IbeganuniversitythinkingthatIwasgoingtobea‘misfit’andthatIwaschasinganunrealisticdreamthatcouldonlybeachievedbyaprivilegedfew.Youonlyhavetolookatstatisticswhichhavebeenpublishedonthenumberofethnicminoritylawyerstorealisethattheprofessionisstilldominatedbyacertainraceandclass.However,theMSPhasgivenmeanidentityatUniversityandcreatedgreateropportunities for me and provided me with useful informationwhichhasgivenmegreaterconfidenceinmydreamtobecomeacitylawyer.

Sarah Kemp First year, MEng Mechanical Engineering

The scholarship funding relieves me of the need to workduringtermtime,therebygivingmemoretimetostudyandpursueextra-curricularactivities.

ThemostexcitingaspectofmyfirstyearatWarwickhastobethemostchallengingtoo:thedegreeworkandallthenewthingstolearnaboutEngineering.Thechallenges I found were often in absorbing all the basics forlaterapplication,buttheexcitementoftheprojects–especiallythelongerDesignforFunctionteamproject–reallymadeupforthosehoursofhardwork.

Beingsurroundedbyotherswhoarejustasinvestedinlearning as I am is amazing. We can help each other with weaker topics, cheer each other up when something goes wrong, and celebrate

AboveallImustthankyou(the donors) for believing in meandmyfellowscholars.Beyondacademics,theMSPhasgiven me more self-belief and agreaterdrivetoachievemydreams.Thecommunityspiritamongstthescholarsmakesyou

feelasifyouareapartofafamily,whereallmembersare striving to achieve similar goals. It is a great feeling toknowthatsomeonebelievesinyouenoughtoinvesttheirtimeandmoneyinyourdevelopment.

Supporting the most underrepresented ethnic groups entering higher education AddressingthegenderimbalanceintheengineeringindustryMulticultural Scholars’ Programme (MSP) Women in Engineering Scholars’ (WIE) Programme

togetherwhenwe’vedonewell.Havingthatnetwork of support also allows for each of us to investigateanytopicsof particular interest without falling behind inanyotherarea,sincethe support is available and the people understanding. Iwouldliketooffermythanks to the individuals sponsoring me (and theotherswiththeWiEScholarship).Yourkindnessisgreatlyappreciated!

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Pleasenote,allscholars’reportshavebeen shortened and edited for ease of readinginthisreport.Ifyouwouldliketoseeanoriginalreport,orifyouhaveanyother questions about the programme, pleasecontactus:

DevelopmentTeamExternalAffairsUniversityHouseUniversityofWarwickCoventryCV4 8UW

scholars@warwick.ac.uk warwick.ac.uk/giving 02476151969

Iwasblownawaywiththenon-financialsupportWSPgavemethroughouttheyear.Whetherthiswasafriendlyfaceduringthefirstmeet,thereassurancethatifweeverneededanyadvice,helporsupportthey’dbethere,ortheactivitiesand workshops that were put on to inform us further. These workshops included careers and financeadvicethatIwouldn’thavereceivedifitweren’tforthescholarship.Thankyousomuchfor making that possible.

Emily Hurdley Firstyear,BASociology