Student who worked part-time to support herself receives £50,000 scholarship for top results
A student from Wandsworth who has been supporting herself through her studies has received a £50,000 scholarship after getting top A Levels.
Amera Badawy, who attended Ark Putney Academy, achieved an A*, an A and a B.
She will attend Sussex University in September to study Environmental Anthropology – supported by the prestigious Environmental and Social Scholarship of £50,000 awarded by Investment Management firm, Aurum.
Amera has been living independently and working part time to support herself while she studied.
She said: “As soon as I found out I burst into tears. My teachers really advocate for me and were constantly helping me to find and apply for opportunities to help me on my pathway.
“Things have been really difficult for me over the last few years, and so this bursary is completely life changing – not just financially, but the paid work placements and mentoring support will be great.
“Long term I want to work with the UN, focusing on how climate change affects ethnic minorities and helping less able countries to combat global warming. I can’t wait to start my journey.”
In addition to her tuition and maintenance fees, the scholarship will provide Amera with mentoring across her three-year degree and paid work experience placements to help boost her graduate prospects.
Amera is not the only student from Ark Putney Academy who has won a scholarship this year.
Leyla Ibrahim has been awarded a £9,000 Marshall Wace scholarship after achieving ABB grades.
She said: “I am extremely grateful for this, and I honestly couldn’t have done it without my teachers. My degree in Sociology at UCL will take me into humanitarian aid and development work and this financial support means that an entire year of my tuition fees is covered.”
Student Nour Sannoufa is a recipient of the £9,000 Marshall Wace scholarship and Carla Chavez Salazar has won the £3,000 scholarship.
The school is also celebrating high achiever Cooper Bolinius.
Cooper achieved results of A*A*A*AA in Chemistry, Maths, Physics, Spanish and Further Mathematics.
He said: “I arrived at school halfway through Year 10 and the APA community was very welcoming.
“My teachers were supportive and dedicated throughout my entire time at APA, right to the end of Sixth Form, including University prep.
“I am due to start my engineering degree at the University of Toronto next year and am currently completing some summer courses in preparation. I am really looking forward to the next chapter.”
Ark Putney Academy Principal Alison Downey said: “I am so proud of our Year 13 students who have worked very hard and should be congratulated on their achievements. It’s fantastic seeing so many securing high grades and progressing to their university of choice. Our students have faced so much uncertainty since the pandemic started and throughout their sixth form experience, but their commitment to their education has never wavered.
“I’d also like to give special thanks to the teaching and support staff who have been so dedicated to ensuring the school run smoothly, whether they were delivering lessons on site or online, providing pastoral care and everything else in between.”