Our Student Hardship Fund is there to support students who find themselves in situations where there is a real danger that they will not be able to complete their studies. In the past year, your generosity has allowed us to award financially struggling students a record number of 155 hardship grants. Without this help, many of those students would not have been able to continue with their degrees.
Students such as Lesley. Even undertaking a degree was a daunting decision for her. Chronic illness and severe financial difficulties meant that Lesley did not follow a traditional route into Higher Education. Home-schooled and with no GCSEs or A Levels under her belt, Lesley nevertheless excelled when she eventually plucked up the courage to undertake an Access to HE course, achieving a Distinction. This gave her the confidence to apply to City and pursue a BSc in Psychology.
However, without the award from Student Support which has provided the financial help that has allowed Lesley to pay her rent and get by, she would have had to drop out. Her ongoing illness which led to the retaking of her first year had drastically slowed her down, but she is now ready to undertake her final year, with a real shot at achieving a First.
Lesley is now more optimistic about her future, with ambitions to continue her education when she graduates and eventually pursue a PhD in neuroscience. “As well as chronic diabetes I also have Hypothyroidism and there is a significant lack of research regarding how different genetic variations effects thyroid treatment and its effect on brain activity. This means that there may be patients that are unknowingly prescribed the wrong medication, much like I once was. I want to explore and conduct research in this area, particularly brain activity in those with different genetic variations when on and off T3. I believe that if you become aware of something that needs to be changed, why wait for someone else to tackle them. As for my degree, I just wouldn’t have been able to continue without the help of Student Support. Thank you so much to those alumni who have supported this cause.”
This is what the Student Hardship Fund is all about. Not only making sure that students complete their degrees, but sending them out into the wider world to do amazing things. Every single one of your donations is an investment in society.