Cianne Jones, UCL Laws Dean’s Scholarship
Where you are from: London
Scholarship received: UCL Laws Dean’s Scholarship
Why did you choose to apply to study at UCL Laws?
The first reason I decided to apply was due to where UCL Laws appears in rankings which really impressed me. I was also interested in human rights and UCL gives LLM students an option to specialise in this field, which really appealed to me. The second reason I decided to apply was the fact there were scholarships offered for the Law LLM programme. It’s quite rare to find scholarships in a Law faculty for UK students so I applied straight away.
What are your favourite things about studying at UCL Laws?
I love studying here because it’s in the centre of London and it’s also really interesting meeting so many people from around the world. I know it’s an international university but I didn’t realise quite how international. I’ve met so many different people and everyone having such varied professional backgrounds really compliments the course.
What do you hope to do once your studies are complete?
I work in international development and in 2014 founded a charity in Uganda called Women in Leadership. The charity is funded by Grand Challenges Canada, and it’s a women’s rights charity focusing on women’s health, education and livelihoods. I move between Uganda and the UK, and once my LLM is complete I want to use the knowledge that I have gained on the course to compliment my work in the charity. I also consult for other NGOs and after this course intend to advise them on a human rights-based approach to Development.
How did you hear about the UCL Laws scholarships:
I searched online for scholarships, I started looking for top universities for law and human rights law and it led me to the UCL Laws website. UCL came up in the top 10 universities for law in the world so that was a huge draw.
What impact has receiving this scholarship had for you?
Receiving this scholarship has been huge for me. If I didn’t have this scholarship I wouldn’t be able to do the course, it’s that simple. I qualified as a solicitor in 2013 and I’ve wanted to do a Masters for a very long time, but once you’ve done your undergraduate studies and then an LPC, financially it’s hard to see a Masters as an option. It’s definitely given me the opportunity to do something I wouldn’t have been otherwise able to do.
If you hadn’t received this scholarship what do you think your plans would be, if not studying at UCL Laws?
To advance my career in international development, particularly as a consultant, a Masters is a must. If I hadn’t received the scholarship, I think I would still be working in Uganda and looking for other funding opportunities.
If someone was thinking of applying for a scholarship what would you say to them?
If someone was thinking of applying I would say apply now! Apply early, get your application in as early as you can as there’s so much competition. Research what you want to do a year before you want to apply as scholarships are advertised early and you don’t want to be too late to get your application in. If you’re a mature student, like me, talk about your experience and how the scholarship will help you to advance your career in your application. Above all else, believe in yourself. Someone will receive a scholarship, there is no reason why it can’t be you.
If someone was thinking of funding or sponsoring a scholarship what would you say to them?
I would say It’s so important to support scholarships such as these as too many people don’t have access to these opportunities. There so many students who have brilliant grades but simply cant afford to further their career or education. Getting these opportunities are just invaluable to those students.