Uswah is a BA Law and Politics student. She accepted a place to study at Queen Mary after obtaining A*, A* and B in her A-Levels (Politics, English Literature and Geography). Uswah is the eldest of three siblings and is the first in her family to go to university.
Uswah Naseem, Annual Fund Scholarship recipient 2019-2022
"My parents are from Pakistan and moved to the UK in the 80s. Both of my parents didn’t go to university so they were really pleased when I received my offer to study at Queen Mary. I first visited Queen Mary at an Open day and liked that the university offered a range of extracurricular opportunities for students. It’s also a Russell Group university!
"I like that my course is multi-disciplinary so I have the opportunity to meet different people and have a variety of modules to choose from. My favourite module so far is Public Law because I want to focus on that in my career in the future.
"Before coming to university, I didn’t realise how costly it would be for students. I have to think about paying for travel, course resources and my daily essentials. So, I had to rely on my parents for money which has been tight because I come from a low-income household. I had to take up working as a private tutor to lessen the financial stress, at the same time, I didn't want to disappoint my parents and lose focus on studying.
"After I found out that I’d been awarded the Annual Fund Scholarship, I had a huge sense of relief. The award means a lot to me as it has enabled me to buy my course resources. I’ve put half of the money in my pot of saving so I can do my Legal Practice Course (LPC). Self-funding an LPC can be costly so I’m keen to start saving for this now so I can take this course straight after completing my degree.
"Many students worry about finances whilst in university and after graduating. For example, maintenance loan has never been an option for me because I’m afraid of the mounting debt I’ll be in after I graduate. On top of this, I have to think about my future and how I can fund my LPC and bar course.
"Thank you to the generous alumni who made this award possible. You have encouraged me to look forward and focus on what I want to do without the added financial stress. Once again, thank you!"