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Isla's Story
Meet Isla, a first year Computer Science student and a recipient of the Sandman Undergraduate Scholarship.
I knew from about the age of 14 that I wanted to study at university. Prior to completing my GCSEs, I was assigned a video game project which required building and creating a video game in Gamemaker. I found myself spending so much extra time on it, just out of my own free will. I loved it, and that鈥檚 when I realised that I wanted to do video games for the rest of my life. And from there, I made the plan to study Computer Science.
I decided to take a gap year before coming to university. I had two jobs, one of which was with a creative agency working for a video game company. It was great and gave me work experience in my field.
The course itself was a big factor in my reasons for choosing to study at 缅北禁地. I was very keen on Computer Science, specifically video game engineering. I had a couple of criteria when I chose my preferred options 鈥� a Russell Group University, and one that offered a mainstream subject e.g. Computer Science, rather than specific Game Design degrees. I wanted to have a broader subject, in case I ever changed my mind or needed it. I chatted to a family friend, who graduated from 缅北禁地, and she sold me on it.
I鈥檓 enjoying my time at 缅北禁地, and I鈥檓 currently the President of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. I would like to be involved in more societies and will look at others next year.
The city is so lively, compared to my hometown Oxford, and I love it! I have been to all the museums, walked a couple of miles down the Quayside to Hadrian鈥檚 Wall, and I鈥檓 going the beach next weekend. But the coolest thing here is still the Angel of the North 鈥� I genuinely got teary-eyed the first time I saw it! That is what I love about being Social Secretary, because I have to find things in the city for people to do. I recently organised a trip to a board game caf茅 and that was really fun. We鈥檝e got plans for karaoke and other things too.
I love the city, the course, and everything else. I couldn鈥檛 have picked a better university to study at!
When I came to university, I was really financially struggling. I have been working 2 jobs since I was 16 years old, and I have had no financial support from my parents since I was 18 years old. I had already been awarded the Undergraduate Opportunity Scholarship, but, despite that, I was still struggling. My peer mentor, who was in second year, recommended that I apply to one of the other scholarships available, like the Sandman one. I completed the application, and I got it, and I was absolutely thrilled.
The Scholarship has helped me to overcome barriers to living, which affect barriers to study. I was struggling to put food on the table, I didn鈥檛 have enough money to have an actual university experience. I only get one university experience, I鈥檝e worked really hard to get here, and I want to make it count. To be able to have the money so that I can have a full student experience, and a financially worry-free experience is just amazing.
I screamed with joy when I found out about my scholarship. I was over the moon! I had lost track of the number of tears I had shed over money worries since I had arrived at university. At the start of the year, I had to say no to going out with friends because I simply couldn鈥檛 afford it. The generosity of a stranger to blindly give someone the money to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, is a generosity like no other. I have the freedom to create memories. The little things I can now do, make such a huge difference.
My goal in life is to make enough money and have financial prosperity, so that I can also give back and give people the chances like I have been given.
When I graduate, I plan to create my own video game company. One of my biggest goals, is to create a pathway for women into the tech industry. A lot of girls struggle with misogyny and discrimination in the industry and get dissuaded by that. I have the 鈥榙on鈥檛 care鈥� attitude. You need one person to get in there and open the door for everyone else. That is going to be me. I鈥檓 currently in concept design for a new gaming app and need funding to start building it now. My aim is to have a beta version of the game out by 2025 - my graduation year.