International Scholarship Reception

I recently attended a scholarship reception hosted by Aston University. The purpose of the reception was to recognize persons who were awarded scholarships (whether from Aston or external organizations) at the start of the academic year.

Getting to know other scholars

The reception was a rather pleasant event in the form of a luncheon and award ceremony. It provided a forum to meet other scholars as well as to get to know each other. I was already familiar with a few scholars from the postgraduate programme and others I was able to meet for the first time. It was certainly a lovely surprise when I met two other persons from the Caribbean; another Jamaican like myself as well as someone from Trinidad.

The event was also a reminder of the cultural diversity at Aston. There were so many people from different regions representing their country. I couldn't agree more when Vice-Chancellor Prof. Julia King mentioned at the reception that not only do international students benefit from the experience but also UK students, given that the ‘international experience’ is brought to them in their homeland. The cultural diversity at Aston does provide a rich experience for both international and local students. It’s fair to say that Aston students are provided a rare opportunity to learn from each other, forge lifelong relationships with future leaders and simply enjoy the experience!

Group picture with Caribbean and African Scholars