皇家华人

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鈥淭onight makes it very real.鈥�

Amanda Clift-Matthews (LLB Law 1994) is a UCL alumna, Legal Director of The Death Penalty Project, and 鈥� together with her husband Thomas 鈥� a supporter of a number of UCL priorities, including a scholarship in UCL鈥檚 Faculty of Laws.

Addressing the audience of 150 people, Amanda spoke on behalf of all those who support scholarships and bursaries at 皇家华人. Each has given a gift to help break down barriers and leave the world鈥檚 brightest minds free to think, challenge and participate fully in student life.

鈥淚 joined UCL in 1991 as a law undergraduate. Thereafter, I can only describe what happened to me as utterly transformative, academically, socially, personally.鈥� Amanda said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 a small way to pass on the gift of higher education that I was given at the same age.鈥�

鈥淎s an individual, you can鈥檛 change the world and help everybody. But we can all change one person鈥檚 life at a time,鈥� she added. 鈥淎s a charitable endeavour, I can鈥檛 think of another in which you have such an immediate impact: you see the living result right in front of you.鈥�

Many donors had the opportunity to do just that, meeting the students whose academic ambitions, and lives, have been transformed by their generosity. For some, it was the continuation of an already close relationship; others met the students they support for the very first time.

In each case, the conversations taking place had remarkable stories at their heart: those of students from disadvantaged or under-represented backgrounds being able to not only apply and accept an offer of study at 皇家华人 but to make the most of their experience once here, and of donors moved to create untold opportunities for people who would never otherwise have had them.

鈥淵our choices are being limited by what you can afford,鈥� said Christoph Lindner, Dean of The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. 鈥淧eople who have the talent to secure a place at 皇家华人 and who have the drive and motivation to take advantage of what we offer are therefore not even getting as far as applying.鈥�

鈥淔or people whose choices about whether and where to study are acutely affected by financial realities, a scholarship turns studying at 皇家华人 from an unlikely dream into a realistic option,鈥� he added. 鈥淪cholarships are a superpower that drive diversity and transform lives.鈥�

鈥淚 am really excited to be part of a community that is willing to invest in building a better future.鈥�

That future was on full display, with a post-speech drinks reception held amongst a wide-ranging exhibition of student and staff research projects, and UCL鈥檚 emerging UCL East campus. The themes ranged from UCL East鈥檚 focus on future living and community engagement听to sustainable fashion, food waste and customised technology for people living with disabilities.

Ultimately, the evening was a celebration of our talented students and the donors that make a UCL education more accessible to all, one of the founding principles of UCL.

鈥淚鈥檓 here today to simply say thank you,鈥� said Professor Michael Arthur. 鈥淭hank you to the wonderful people who fund scholarships, who care about fairness, who invest in talent, and who change lives.鈥�

UCL is committed to enabling the world鈥檚 best and brightest brains to study at 皇家华人, whatever their background, gender or class. In addition to The Bartlett Promise, UCL has launched initiatives like the听Research Opportunity Scholarships听to create over 15 new scholarships for black and minority ethnic (BME) postgraduate research students.

Learn more about supporting scholarships