Bright, focused and quietly determined, Rebecca recognised that a bursary to Uppingham was her only realistic way out of what can best be described as a challenging school and home life.
At the age of 15, Rebecca was at secondary school facing a number of challenges. She had many responsibilities at home and a lot on her plate that were holding her back from reaching her full potential.
“I felt very trapped. I just didn’t have any idea of where I could go. All I knew was I wanted to leave. Ultimately, I think my application to Uppingham was a means of bringing myself out of the circles that were probably not great influences.
Rebecca realised during the application process that she wanted to be a part of a bigger community and she soon established that Uppingham could offer this.
The bursary completely and utterly changed the trajectory of my life, of my future. Not only academically, professionally but also personally.
Before coming to Uppingham, Rebecca was very nervous and didn’t quite know how to navigate herself around others. During those precious two years at Uppingham, she was able to develop a sense of self, and a strong confidence in who she is and the kind of people she wanted to surround herself with.
With a passion for creativity, the bursary allowed Rebecca to be surrounded with the resources and energy to allow her to explore her curiosities; to be creative and to be an artist. With the support of the School Rebecca was given the opportunity to explore this passion further and the chance to go on her first ever trip abroad, during a stimulating art trip to Amsterdam.
“Those two years really shaped my values and just how I enter the world, how I interact with the people around me, how I build community, how I feel I have a part in society and how I can influence the things around me.”
After leaving Uppingham, Rebecca received a Friends of Uppingham grant, which gave her an unforgettable experience volunteering with the Karen Hill Tribes Trust in Thailand. Through the networks that Rebecca fostered at Uppingham, she has supported and continues to support young people in the UK and overseas to help them realise their full potential. In addition, Rebecca is taking a degree in International Development at Sussex University.
“I really have Uppingham to thank for the way I’ve been able to understand the world and how I have been able to access the opportunities that have now brought me onto getting research positions, studying at the best university in the world for the area that I am in. Having networks that really will bring me into the best positions in order to make change in the future.”
“Uppingham has primed me and my peers to make change, to make feasible, tangible change. I can just see how other bursary recipients are wanting to forge change in a similar way.
If I was to encapsulate what the bursary did for me, it simply changed everything.