Three London students and a Birmingham sports science student have each won one of four £30,000 HSBC Student Bursaries following a national competition to identify and support high potential individuals starting out in student life.
Chandni Patel, a Medical Genetics student at Queen Mary’s University of London, Mira Athanassouli a German and Modern Greek student at King's College in London, Zac Imam a MSci Geophysics student at Imperial College London, and Imogen Cornick studying Sports Science and Material Technology at Birmingham University were chosen from more than 3,000 entrants to the 2008 HSBC Student Bursary Awards.
Students logging onto HSBC’s online student pages were asked to explain why they felt they should be considered for a bursary. The final decisions were made by a panel of judges, including representatives of the National Union of Students, former tennis pro Tim Henman, academics and HSBC.
The students were then awarded their bursaries at a reception held at the HSBC Head Quarters in Canary Wharf, where they were asked to read out their winning submissions in front of their parents as well as a number of the judges.
Lucy Payne, HSBC’s Youth and Student Manager said: “HSBC invests heavily in financial education and literacy, focusing a lot of attention on helping young people and students to be responsible with their finances. We offer a very straightforward student account which has no gimmicks. We could easily have given away thousands of ipods, but this approach doesn't necessarily help students make the right decisions about their finances.”
The winners will each receive £10,000 every year for three years to go towards their living and studying costs. HSBC will keep in touch with the students over these three years to encourage and ensure they are achieving their goals.
Chandni Patel, Medical Genetics, Queen Mary’s, University of London
When I get my degree I would like to work on a Genetics of Inflammation and Immunity project. Two diseases, namely malaria and bronchiolitis, are major childhood illnesses which lead to death in most young children around the world. Developing a vaccine or medication could help us save these children from suffering. It is my dream to be a doctor (neurosurgeon), so I would like to gain graduate entry into medicine and make the most of my skills by diagnosing and treating patients who are ill. I hope to assist all the researchers who are working hard to find cures for life-taking diseases. This bursary will also help me pay for my work experience in Ghana next summer where I will be working in hospitals and shadowing doctors.
Mira Athanassouli, German and Modern Greek, King's College London
With the rise of globalisation and the expansion of the European Union, language is becoming increasingly important, which is one of the reasons for my wanting to study languages. I am also studying languages to prepare me for a postgraduate in singing, which I am studying alongside my degree. I started singing a couple of years ago when I had to give up dancing as a result of a chronic illness. I found singing a wonderful release from my problems and performing gave me so much joy. I lived in Zimbabwe for 10 years and my future aim is to create an outreach programme in Zimbabwe for HIV orphans who are left without homes or families. I would like to give them the opportunity to find meaning and joy in their lives again, through singing and performing arts.
Zac Imam, MSci Geophysics, Imperial College London
I want to use my knowledge of how the earth works to improve our understanding of natural disasters. Disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Sichuan earthquake, whilst they can not be prevented, can be better predicted and as we learn more about them, we will be able to better protect against them. I feel that the technology to do this is only now beginning to develop properly and my goal is to help further that technological movement to protect the people who are most vulnerable. An HSBC bursary would give me the necessary support in being able to push for my goal of protecting these people and saving hundreds of thousands of lives. I would not have to worry about my financial situation and instead I would be able to concentrate on obtaining my degree and moving closer to my goal.
Imogen Cornick, Sports Science and Material Technology, Birmingham
I love sport and design technology, so my course is perfect for both my loves. The success of Team GB at the Olympics and Paralympics has inspired me. It is unlikely that I will be an international athlete and compete at the Olympics, but I want to help someone else realise that dream. My degree course involves research and development of different materials specifically related to sport and performance. This could involve either making equipment or studying biomechanics. Specialist appliances for all sports are expensive and I intend to use my degree to investigate alternative materials that would increase opportunities available to disabled athletes who don't have the funding or access to some of the equipment needed and then to make this available to schools. This bursary will help finance my studies and the research involved in realising this. Who knows how many potential medal winners we have waiting to be discovered in London 2012?
For more information about HSBC’s Student Account visit: http://www.hsbc.co.uk/students
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