08 ACCESS TO EDUCATION
Access to education Striving to succeed regardless of the obstacles If you’ve ever met a scholarship recipient, you’ll know first-hand the overwhelming gratitude they have towards supporters of the University’s scholarship schemes. If you haven’t been able to meet with a scholar yet, let us introduce you to Dean. Now a final year student studying Retail, Marketing and Management, Dean was awarded an Opportunity Scholarship (formerly known as a Development Trust Scholarship) in 2016. Dean applied for a Scholarship because he knew that attending university would leave him and his family under considerable financial strain, something he didn’t want to do as they already faced problems, including his
mum’s struggle with her mental health. Dean is the first in his family to attend university and says that “my immediate family have inspired me to strive to succeed, and I’ve always held it close to my heart that, when I did, I would be able to support them.” And strive to succeed he has… Dean has maintained great exam results, set up the University’s first Retail Society and achieved the Loughborough Employability Award throughout his time at Loughborough. He also obtained a highly competitive placement at Dunelm, where he flourished. Alongside his family, he recognises the donor who funds his scholarship as a key pillar of support.
— “Donors make it possible for students like me to have life-changing Loughborough experiences. The scholars who receive them are igniting a new dimension of ambition in our community.” Dean Retail, Marketing and Management —
Revealing the possibilities of higher education The University has always focused on making coming to Loughborough a possibility for all, no matter what your background. Over the last couple of years, the work in this area and its impact has rocketed... quite literally in some cases. The HE Unboxed initiative helps teachers across the country to inform and excite their students about the post-18 options available to them – all through the delivery of an interactive session, which is sent to them in a box. This includes an aeronautical engineering focused box that tasks students with making their own rockets. Over 100 schools have participated so far, engaging almost 6,500 students in the process. The boxes have been well received, with feedback
showing that the content of each box is rated well for enjoyment and usefulness in understanding university and what it has to offer. Starting in 2017 with just one box, the initiative now has over 25 boxes to choose from, covering a whole host of subject areas, skills and employer-focused activities. This includes the more recent developments of Skills in a Box and Success in a Box – two new series of boxes, the former focusing on understanding key transferrable skills, and the latter developed in collaboration with various employers. This year the team has also introduced Subject in a Box Global – which gives students the opportunity to share their findings from the activity with peers from other countries via an online gallery of work.
The expansion of the initiative has been made possible thanks to the donors who have generously supported this, and other important ‘widening participation’ activity, over recent months.
You can find out more about the initiative at www.lboro.ac.uk/study/he-unboxed
