Helping Students achieve their ambitions through higher education

As part of RGU’s commitment to widening access and supporting students from all backgrounds, a number of talented students have been awarded scholarships. Access RGU scholarship opportunities support and enable talented students from underrepresented groups, particularly those from deprived areas, to achieve their ambitions through higher education.

The scholarships are available through the generosity of donors to the RGU Foundation, the philanthropic fundraising arm of the university, and are accessible to students who demonstrate academic merit, motivation and ambition.

Five scholarships, which have been supported by Baillie Gifford, The Budge Foundation, Enermech, CNOOC International and CNR International, were awarded to students. Each of these awards provide financial and academic support to undergraduate students for the duration of their studies at RGU.

RGU scholars with university representatives

Marilyn McDermott-Dick, studying Adult Nursing, was selected to receive the Budge Foundation Access Scholarship; Management with Human Resources student Amira Tocher was awarded the CNR Barbara Rae Memorial Scholarship in Business & Engineering; Lukas Miltenis, studying Mechanical Engineering, was 8

awarded the CNOOC Limited Scholarship; Ross Smith has been selected for the Enermech Access Scholarship in Engineering; and Darren Oliver McFawns who is studying Fashion and Textile Design has been awarded the Baillie Gifford Access Scholarship in Creative Arts.

A number of merit scholarships and student prizes have also been awarded thanks to the generosity of local organisations, alumni and philanthropic individuals.

Sarah Dingwall, Development Manager at the RGU Foundation, said: “We are pleased to receive support for our Access Scholarships, which allow RGU to continue to attract a diverse body of students, create opportunities and help remove financial barriers that exist between a student and achieving their potential.”

One student who has previously been awarded an Access Scholarship and was able to thrive during her undergraduate studies was Adebowale Odukoya.

Case study – ADEBOWALE ODUKOYA

Ade is a previous recipient of the Enermech Scholarship which supported her both financially and professionally during her studies. Ade said the scholarship provided her with a degree of stability and took away the financial stress of attending university but also gave her peace of mind that people do believe in you.

Ade was born in Nigeria, and moved to the UK when she was six with her mother and sister. She spent her formative years growing up in London. For many years, Ade’s home life was strained, and her family were told that they may not gain settled status in the UK.

“The scholarship provided me with a degree of stability, and took away the financial stress.” - Ade Odukoya

“Pursuing further education was still very important to me and my family, but I still did not know exactly what I wanted to do,” Ade said.

Ade became hooked on mechanical engineering. Shortly after this, Ade and her family were finally granted settled status and moved to Scotland.

She decided to study at RGU as it was the only institution which allowed you to fasttrack the Master’s in four years. Despite finding the move to the North-east slightly daunting, any reservations Ade had were eased when she was awarded the RGU Enermech Scholarship, which opened up many opportunities including a paid placement within Enermech.

“The scholarship provided me with a degree of stability, and took away the financial stress. But it was much more than this. It gave me peace of mind that people actually do believe in you and they are investing more than just money. Knowing this really pushed me forward in my studies and helped me to stay focused,” she said. “The scholarship also provided the opportunity for paid placement within Enermech, which is something I took advantage of. I was able to find out about different aspects of the business and apply what I had been learning on the course at RGU in the workplace. Away from the academic side of things, being at RGU also allowed me to meet so many different characters and personalities.”

Ade really embraced the university experience when in Aberdeen. She was the student representative on her course, and she also took on the role of student ambassador.

“University for me was much more than just the studying and coming away with a Degree, it was about finding out who you are – and I found this out while at RGU,” she continued. “When I think about university life, I would 100% recommend it. For those who may not think it is a path available to them, you must explore at what options are available to you – as many universities will provide pathways which you might not be aware of. Find out what your strengths are, and make sure you play to them as the experience, for me, has been unforgettable.”

Ade is now continuing her education with a PhD at Strathclyde University.