Empowering a bright future and a passion for life sciences

Starting university comes with its own set of challenges, especially when balancing academic goals with financial pressures. For Raven, the Alumni Scholarship Award has made all the difference. It has not only eased the financial burden but also allowed her to focus on her studies and engage in campus life, helping her thrive during her first year at university.

What brought you to the university? 

“I’ve lived in Nottingham all my life, with my parents and five siblings. My mother was the first person in my family to attend university, followed by my older sister and brother.

“Despite a lot of the summative years of my secondary education being interrupted by COVID, I achieved top grades in my GCSEs. I studied biology, chemistry and maths at A-level, as well as doing an AS in further maths in sixth form. After finishing my A-levels, I was originally planning to attend university outside of Nottingham, but decided to take a gap year as I was suffering from lots of anxiety at that time.

“I have always had an interest in STEM fields, but found my exposure to it was mostly through my own curiosity due to my family being removed from scientific fields. My teachers at school were helpful in finding opportunities to broaden my knowledge, and I really enjoyed concepts surrounding genetics and the future implications of research in the field.”

Why Nottingham?

“Staying in Nottingham has allowed me to be around for my family and still pursue a course in genetics, which many universities I originally considered do not have.

“After finding out about this scholarship, I applied for it almost immediately, because I knew it would relieve worries that I had about the financial side of university. I was in the process of moving house when I applied, which would mean I lived much further away from the university and would need to commute much farther than I originally intended. I also needed to stay home with my family as my father has multiple sclerosis, and my mother is an ambulatory wheelchair user, so I wanted to be able to help them as much as possible as we ended up moving away from our other immediate family.”

Campus life

“In my first few months, I struggled with the adjustment period as it felt difficult to make friends without living on campus, but through my course and different society events I have met lots of people who live on campus and some others who also commute. I originally planned on joining the dance society, but I already dance outside of university and instead decided to join the book club, as I’ve enjoyed reading all my life and have enjoyed the opportunity to discuss books I’ve read with a variety of people, as well as have the time to read.”

How the scholarship has helped 

“I am incredibly thankful for the support the scholarship has provided for me, as it has reduced my anxieties surrounding life at university. I have found it incredibly helpful in getting any textbooks that I need or books that lecturers have recommended that I’ve found interesting."