An Access to Higher Education (Science) Student at South Hampshire College Group has been honoured with a prestigious new scholarship at University of Reading in recognition of her academic excellence and leadership potential.
Kamana Gurung, a 24-year-old student based in Colchester, first came to the UK in 2022 from her homeland, Nepal, shortly after getting married. Despite the challenge of adjusting to a completely new environment and culture, Kamana seized the opportunities available to her. She successfully completed her Maths and English GCSEs, all while balancing a full-time job. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for science and chemistry, which shaped an ambition to become a clinical pharmacist. Upon completing her GCSEs, she began her search for an access course that could open the door to a pharmacist degree, and needed a fully remote science-themed course that could complement her ongoing work commitments. Kamana found exactly what she was looking for at South Hampshire College Group.
Despite never meeting her tutors in person, she built a strong relationship with them. “I immediately felt supported,” Kamana explained. “The most impressive thing was how kind and helpful my tutors were, especially with academic writing. I could send drafts for feedback before submitting the final versions – that’s something my friends at other colleges didn’t have. They went above and beyond, even replying to my queries at weekends and the summer period. I never felt a barrier despite it being a remote course.”
Carolyn Basely, Health and Social Care Lecturer at South Hampshire College Group, was Kamana’s tutor during her studies. Carolyn commented: “Kamana was an extremely motivated, mature student who was very determined to achieve her goal to study pharmacy. She completed her Access to HE Science Diploma entirely online, studying biology, physical and chemistry modules, and achieved 141 UCAS points. She is a great example of how, with hard work, you can change your career and fulfil your dreams.”
Kamana’s efforts were rewarded with two university offers at King’s College London and University of Reading, to which she felt the latter would be a better fit. That decision proved even more valuable when she was named a recipient of the Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship.
The Global Leaders Sustainability Scholarship is a brand-new initiative launching this autumn at University of Reading, one year after the higher education provider was crowned the UK’s Most Sustainable University of 2024. This scholarship will provide 300 undergraduate students with £6000 per year of their studies, which can go towards living and maintenance costs, as well as opening access opportunities for learning and development.
Kamana already has her sights set firmly on the future. Although her immediate focus is on her degree and training to become a qualified clinical pharmacist, she also has a long-term ambition of becoming involved in the field of clinical trials and future medical drug development.
Kamana concluded with some valuable advice for access students: “Please communicate because communication is so important. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, get feedback and build rapport with your teacher. Distance doesn’t have to be a barrier with remote learning.”
For any further information, please contact the College Group at [email protected].
For more information on the Global Leaders Sustainability Scholarship, please click here.
