My name is Angelo Ruggiero and I've just started my final year in Economics and Business. I’m from a small Italian town called Vallo della Lucania but when I was twelve my parents decided to move to London with me, my twin brother and younger brother.
Angelo Ruggerio, Annual Fund Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement
"When my family and I moved to London, my parents enrolled me at ACS Hillingdon International School which worked closely with a Bulgarian orphanage. The support my school provided gave them financial and social help and this is where my interest in economics and finances began.
"I knew by then that I wanted to go into banking so I looked at the economics and business courses at QMUL. Plus I would be in London so I could continue to live with my family. I’m really enjoying my education here, I was a course representative in my first year and I’ve created good bonds with my teachers.
"I then decided to go to a university in California for my second year so I could have a broader educational experience. They offered me a place to stay on as a full-time student but I wanted to return to QMUL. I also had a summer job waiting for me. I have worked two summers at Morgan Stanley to get financial work experience and have been offered a three-year placement with them to begin after graduation! My parents were thrilled when they found out about this, especially because I was offered it just before starting my third year. I think they really understood how well I was doing when I got this job offer.
"There are so many things I would like to do: I want to go into investment banking, get accounting qualifications, maybe do an MBA, and I’m so fortunate to have my parents’ support in whatever I choose to do. So when I was awarded the Annual Fund Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement, I was at first just stunned that the University had noticed me. I didn’t believe it so I called the Finance department to confirm the cheque was really mine. My parents were very proud that I had been noticed and were happy that I decided to help out with the tuition bills. Reading lists can be very expensive so I bought some books for my course too.
"At first I didn’t know where the money had come from exactly but then I learned about the Annual Fund and all about alumni support and I’m so grateful for all the help you have given me. I am so appreciative of your support and investment in QMUL and its students. I know many people that are geniuses but can’t afford to go to a good university and don’t have any financial help. It makes me more grateful for the support that I received and the opportunities my QMUL education has given me already. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported student scholarships and I hope you realise how much you are helping many of us.
"I was recently invited to the House of Lords Alumni event to meet our generous alumni and I felt so respected to be there. The scholarship I received and being invited to this event made me realise how much I would like to give financially in the near future. It has really changed the way I look at financial support and I know that every little bit helps. I feel motivated to give more generations of students the same possibilities I had."