25 Students set to travel to all corners of the earth
Posted on Monday 10 May 2010
Mayor of Rushmoor is Guest of Honour at Annual Travel Scholarship Awards Ceremony
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The Mayor and Mayoress of Rushmoor were Guests of Honour at the annual award of travel scholarships at Farnborough Sixth Form College today. He presented cheques to 25 students who are undertaking a variety of challenging expeditions and journeys in the next few months.
College Principal, Dr John Guy, spoke of the esteem and pride in which he held students who went out of their way to challenge themselves and to help others. He said, “The College mission is to prepare students to face the demands of a changing world with confidence and assurance and what better way to experience that than to undertake an expedition to a remote or difficult part of the world?”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Mayor Rushmoor, Cllr Roger Kimber, said, “I am delighted to support events like this where students are encouraged to go out into the world to help others. It is a wonderful tribute to the students of the College that so many are undertaking this sort of activity.”
Among first year students who received travel scholarships was 16 year old Georgia Pearson of Fleet who will be travelling to Sri Lanka with the Ocean Stars Charity. Georgia said, “I’m really excited about going and working with the communities affected by the 2004 Tsunami – but it is a bit daunting because I don’t really know the people I’ll be going with yet and I’ve never travelled that far before without my family.”
17 year old Siddharth Manikonda from Hook will be undertaking work experience in a small local hospital in India. He said, “I am hoping to be a doctor in the future and seeing medicine practiced in a developing country will give me more knowledge and understanding of diseases and their treatments in a developing country.”
18 year old Hannah Hitchin from Fleet received her award to undertake a gap year in Thailand where she will be teaching English and working as a volunteer in local community, arranged by the Baptist Mission Society. She was surprised to receive a second cheque for £250 presented by the Vice President of Blackwater Valley Rotary Club, Mandy Childs. The award, known as the Jacqueline Findlay Travel Bursary, was established by the Club in memory of one of its founding members who was a local headteacher before her untimely death from cancer some 8 years ago.
Mandy Childs said, “Jacqueline was keen to promote travel and Hannah is a very worthy winner of this award – we look forward to following her journey with great interest.”
A shocked and delighted Hannah said, “I was really pleased to receive a travel scholarship from the College but I never expected to receive the Jacqueline Findlay Travel Bursary as well! I look forward to returning after my gap year to speak to the Rotary Club members about my experiences – and to express to them my gratitude for their generosity.”
