AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISING STUDENTS Fitzwilliam students who undertake projects of environmental, charitable or entrepreneurial value can now apply for a unique source of funding – the Sailbridge Special Project Awards. Established by Phil Behenna (MML 1985), the Sailbridge Awards are named in recognition of Phil’s mentors: his teacher at Exeter School, Lawrence Sail, who taught him to be imaginative, and former Master, Professor Robert Lethbridge, who taught him to persevere. Phil commented: “The awards are designed to encourage students to contribute to the world beyond Cambridge. Intelligence and a great education can provide a tremendous start to life, but only when those building blocks are combined with a willingness to get one’s hands dirty do they become truly useful. “My hope is that the students will help others around the world in a ‘hands-on’ way, and I have already observed this in our first four recipients. They travelled to Sierra Leone (helping to provide support for survivors of Ebola), Kenya (assisting women’s charities), Nepal (volunteering at a health centre for disabled children), and Russia (helping at a summer camp for disadvantaged children). The Awards may also lead onto other things: the medical student who travelled to Nepal may return there to complete his elective, and the student who went to Kenya wants to pursue a career in international development. “If the Sailbridge Awards inspire our students to take their intelligence and education and use them for good in the world, then they will undoubtedly have been worth it.”
Alexandra Watsham (MML 2012) travelled to Russia to volunteer at a camp for underprivileged children. “My role at the camp involved teaching English and German and organising cultural activities, including drama and music, for the children, many of whom had never met anyone from outside of Russia, much less travelled abroad. “This fantastic experience not only provided a tremendous boost to my language skills in preparation for my final oral exam in September, but has also given me a great deal to think about as I prepare for life beyond university. I am extremely grateful to the Sailbridge Awards for helping me to put my degree to such good use.”
19