Abukar is an MSci Mathematical Sciences student. He is from the neighbouring borough Newham and is a keen board-games enthusiast. Abukar tells us how an alumni-funded bursary has improved his university experience.
Abukar Awes, Queen Mary and Westfield Alumni Bursary
"I knew I wanted to come to Queen Mary because I’m a born and bred Londoner and wanted to stay in my home city. It also helped that my older brother studied Economics here some years ago so I liked the sound of it already. My parents have been extremely supportive of us as the firsts in our family to go on to higher education. There was no question about it, I always thought university was a necessity.
"I’m really enjoying my course so far. My A Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Chemistry really prepared me for the leap in academia. The course, though intense, provides the flexibility to do extra-curricular activities and so I’m a part of the board games and video games societies – Monopoly is my favourite!
"I’ve been working part-time for a while now, tutoring GCSE students in maths and the sciences, and more recently A Level students. This has supported me so far but cuts into a lot of my studying time. Receiving a bursary though means I can comfortably pay for any resources needed for my course. I’m very thankful to the alumni of our University. This bursary has made my university experience so much easier already as I’m not worrying about the number of hours I need to work outside of classes to earn a certain amount.
"I’m currently updating my CV and hoping to apply for summer internships at tech companies like IBM. I did some work experience for them while I was at sixth form so I’m hoping this will give me a slight edge as it’s very competitive!
"Thank you once again to the alumni who made my bursary possible. I’m really grateful for this extra support."