Bursary Stories
Bursary Stories
"Without my Beale Award, my life would be far less rich than it is now. CLC opened my eyes to new cultures, new opportunities, and has really shaped me into the woman that I am today."
Gracie, Former pupil and Beale Award recipient
Hear from our recipients
For many recipients, a Beale Award can be life-changing, broadening their horizons and opening their eyes to opportunities they never thought possible.
Olivia did her GCSEs at The Belvedere Academy in Liverpool and won a Sixth Form bursary to study at CLC for A Levels.
During her final year of Sixth Form, we asked Olivia what it meant to receive a Beale Award.
“My two years spent at Cheltenham Ladies’ College (CLC) have helped me understand the mind-set I need to adopt in order to work, thrive and succeed in a competitive environment.
I am studying Maths, Computer Science and Spanish at A Level, with the intention to acquire a degree in Artificial Intelligence. I chose these subjects particularly to complement my interest in communication and compilation. CLC has enabled me to explore these subjects further given the abundance of resources and different series of seminars.
CLC has also given me opportunities to test my limits. I have successfully applied to become Prefect and Captain of the U18 1st Netball Team – leadership roles I am proud of, especially given the fact that I have only attended College for 2 years. Being a recipient of the Beale Award has given me the encouragement to acquire new skills, and explore an ambitious world where I am free to showcase my real character.”
Sahaj (Class of 2014, St Clare/Bayshill) received a bursary when she entered College in 2007 and remained with us for seven years.
She has now graduated in Medicine from King’s College, Cambridge.
“CLC gave me the drive and determination that is at the core of my success now. It taught me to aim even higher than my horizons, something I will forever be grateful for. I developed skills, a love of learning, and a philosophy that I will hold on to for the rest of my life.
I feel empowered as a woman, confident that my voice is worth just as much as my male counterparts, and I cannot articulate how important this has been to me since I left College.
I truly feel that I would not be the same person, had I not been given the life changing opportunity of going to CLC with the help of a Beale Award.”
SJ (Class of 2014, Beale) received a bursary for the Sixth Form in 2012. They chose to study the International Baccalaureate (IB) because of the breadth of curriculum that the IB provided.
They immersed themselves in College life, becoming a talented debater and public speaker, and volunteering with the Community Links programme, which supports the work of charitable causes in our local community. SJ is now undertaking a PhD at The University of Warwick, studying laser-plasma interactions relevant to fusion power.
"My time at College provided me with a belief that, with hard work and in collaboration with others, I am able to understand and master complex ideas, and to apply them to the state of the world around me.
By studying the International Baccalaureate, I was able to get the training I needed to pursue an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, while also fostering my interest in Philosophy and Religion, German Literature and Language, French, and English Literature. All of these subjects have carried forward with me into my career as a computational physicist and to my understanding of myself as a bisexual, non-binary person.
I now work on laser-plasma interactions relevant to building a nuclear fusion energy source. Such a fusion reactor would provide large amounts of carbon-free energy, with very small amounts of nuclear waste compared to those currently in use. As part of my research I have presented at conferences in Japan and the United States, two countries which I never thought I would visit in my lifetime."
Xara received a bursary for the Sixth Form in 2014. During her two years at CLC, Xara was a Prefect, she ran the Junior Creative Writing Club, and founded the Feminism Society. She graduated from the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar and a Wagenheim Memorial Scholar with a First Class Honours degree in Modern Literature and Culture and a minor in Urban and Environmental Planning. She is now a teacher.
"When I look back at my Sixth Form years at CLC, I am most grateful for the friendships I had with girls and staff which I continue to enjoy. I travelled widely during the second year of my degree and there was always an opportunity to look up Guild Members in whatever country I was in. When we were all together at College, we had wonderful, insightful, stimulating conversations that helped me really think about who I was and who I wanted to be in the future I loved having access to Cheltenham town and the Literature Festival which spurred me on to study English Literature.
In interview situations, I think I have been able to convince people that I want to learn and that I am passionate about my subject, but also that I want to be a good citizen and to engage as usefully as I can in society. This was something that College very much encouraged through its brilliant extra-curricular programme and its support for pupil-led initiatives.
I am excited about telling my Beale Story! I would like to encourage everyone to support the Awards if they can and I hope that my experiences will help to convince people that the opportunity of two (or more) years at CLC is the best possible preparation for adult life".
How can you help?
Support the CLC Flourish bursary fundraising campaign to help us fund life-changing opportunities for generations to come.
- For Fearless
- Futures
- Thinking
- Innovation
- Enterprise
- Creativity
- Women
- Questions
- Ideas
- Friendships
- Minds
- Learning