Tejal Shah, a Gianni Sonvico scholarship recipient, explains how winning the scholarship impacted her experience as a student.
As a student who has failed AS level and has had to start again afresh, winning the Gianni Sonvico scholarship means a lot to me. I almost gave up education, which can be very demotivating and put one in a fragile state of mind. Yet, I tried again, I found my inner motivation to succeed and achieved the highest grades in my college. Winning the Scholarship award is another one of my biggest achievements. Both these accomplishments combined have shown that failure does not define you and that you are in control of what you want to be. The award has renewed my motivation to work hard and chase my goals.
I am grateful that the QMUL School of Law offers such opportunities to help minimise financial stress and maximise students’ academic performance, right from the very start of the degree. I also feel honoured for the fact that the School of Law and Gianni’s family saw the potential in me to succeed.
The application process was quite interesting. My favourite part was the interview. I feel that I am more able to demonstrate who I am as a person at interviews, which is exactly what I did. I believe that the main reason I was chosen as the winner of the award, was because of me being myself.
The award has already proven to be extremely beneficial. I no longer need to find a job to fund my costs and I could easily utilise that time to undertake work placements in Law. Now I’m able to divert my focus on working towards my chosen career as a Barrister. I also have the chance to buy extra resources, like textbooks, to further my reading and develop my essays. I now feel more positive about plans to study a year abroad, as I’ll have the financial support. And I’ll be able to start saving up money to fund my BPTC.
Moreover, the scholarship has enabled exciting opportunities for me. I am the only Pathways to Law ambassador in my cohort, which is a nice way to give back to the School of Law. I look forward to making more contributions towards the School of Law throughout my degree. I would wholeheartedly encourage everyone who is eligible to apply for the Gianni Sonvico scholarship next year. Not only it will ease your financial burden, it will also help you stand out when applying for work experience and keep you motivated throughout your studies!