Congratulations to PIR student, Sanjana Balakrishnan, who has been awarded the Jackson Lewis Scholarship.
My first year at UCL has undoubtedly been one of the most enriching and influential years of my life. Entering university as an international student in a city as busy as London and a university as large as UCL can certainly be a daunting experience. The opportunities are endless. If I could pinpoint the best decision I made this year it would be seizing as many of those opportunities as I could. From getting involved in departmental activities to assuming leadership roles in Student’s Union societies to travelling abroad with my flatmates to taking advantage of learning resources from libraries to museums that UCL and London have to offer, my first year was full of new experiences -- academic and non-academic alike. My department in particular, the UCL School of Public Policy, provided me with many of these experiences. SPP is rich with opportunities for students to fulfill their passion for studying politics outside of their degree coursework including the weekly seminar series, the International Public Affairs Society, excellent personal tutoring, and the International Public Policy Review. Another such opportunity is the Jackson Lewis Scholarship—a £200 award given to a first year SPP undergraduate in recognition of their academic achievement throughout the year. This year I was lucky enough to be selected as the recipient of this award, and I owe many thanks to my professors and peers for their constant support and to my department and UCL for the infinite resources and opportunities they provide. In reflecting on my first year which has culminated with the receipt of this scholarship, the breadth of experiences and knowledge available as a UCL student is immense, and I truly believe that making the most of it all has been key to the growth I have experienced this past year. For incoming students, the greatest hindsight advice, I can give is to seize as many opportunities as possible. So, ask questions, apply for positions, attend events and more—stepping out of your comfort zone is the first step to realising that the world truly is your oyster.
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