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Student’s individual identities, perspectives and life stories are the things that make our University successful – this diversity of lived experience enriches our community and the work we do.
As a member of our Leeds community, will you support us on our mission to create a place where every one of our students feel like they belong and are celebrated for their abilities?
A sense of belonging is so vital to a student’s chances of success – for some students, like Penny, this belonging is much harder to find.
Penny had a difficult start to her education, lacking stability and consistency, she moved between nine schools and missed six months’ worth of teaching. Despite this, Penny was determined not to let her circumstances define her and she left school with 2A*s and 2As, securing her place at Leeds to study Medicine and Surgery.
‘I didn’t really know what to expect – I didn’t grow up knowing any doctors. I thought it would be intense and that I’d be studying around the clock. I was so worried and wanted to close the gap between me and these people who I assumed had easily got into medical school. I thought I was going to do really badly - I turned up so prepared, more than I needed to be.’
Students like Penny also can often feel quite isolated and like they don’t quite fit in the student community, lacking the same life experiences or opportunities.
‘When I first arrived at Leeds I found it hard to make friends. I remember that my flatmates were all talking about holidays. I couldn’t get involved with the conversations because I’d never really been on one. I had to change the subject which made me feel like I stood out.’
Through funding initiatives like scholarships and the Plus Programme, your support helps students, like Penny, to feel part of our Leeds community and that they deserve to be here.
‘Every week we get an email from the Plus Programme and it’s nice to know that they’re there if we need them. They let us know about all kinds of support, from academic skills workshops and mental health support to movie nights and funding to take up opportunities. Through their scholar welcome events I made friends with similar life experiences to me – it was really helpful.’