Brighton University is giving out more than £200,000 in scholarship money to 210 students at a series of ceremonies. The first is tomorrow (Thursday).
The scholarships will be presented at the university’s campuses in Moulsecoomb, Falmer and Grand Parade in Brighton. The first ceremony is due to be held at the Sallis Benney Theatre.
Awards will also be presented at the university’s campuses in Eastbourne and Hastings.
Student teacher Laura Keating is celebrating winning a hat-trick of £1,000 scholarships from the university.
Laura, from Haywards Heath, is in the fourth year of her BA (Hons) primary education course at the School of Education at Falmer.
She has won awards in each of the first three years of the scholarship programme, something no one else has achieved.
She said she initially felt embarrassed: “I thought that it should be someone else’s turn and I didn’t like to tell anyone at first.”
But her friends and family were only too pleased for her and, now, Laura said: “I feel very proud.
“Scholarships are a lovely way to help students and they make a big difference. They made me feel that all the hard work I put in is appreciated.”
Two of this year’s scholarships were established with donations from Pan Macmillan, the publisher of Peter James’s Brighton-based crime novels.
They are the university’s first externally funded scholarships which recognise academic excellence.
Lord Mogg of Queen’s Park, chairman of the university’s board of governors, said: “I hope the scholarships will help students continue their academic work and ease the financial pressure that so many students experience while in higher education.”