My name is Hiiro from Japan and I’m about to complete my studies with an expected UK first-class degree in Physics and Mathematics from the Open University. Back in 2020, I faced financial challenges amidst the uncertainty brought by COVID-19. However, receiving the OUSET Award, which I’ve been honored with five times, has been a significant support. It allowed me to dedicate myself more fully to my studies, and participate in valuable experiences such as internships and research projects, which have enriched my education and personal growth.

Your generosity has not only relieved me of financial stress but has also instilled in me a drive for excellence in all my academic pursuits. My dedication and academic achievements opened doors and I came as one of the few chosen from a pool of a thousand applicants for a prestigious research internship at DESY, Germany’s largest national laboratory.

Most recently, I’ve received a fully-funded offer for a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, and I’ve also been invited to participate in the iFast Challenge-Based Innovation program at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland this July..

As I progress in my academic journey, I am committed to maximizing the opportunities I encounter and giving back to my student community. Your investment in my education not only benefits me personally but also creates a positive chain reaction in the lives of those around me.

I express my appreciation to Claire Gordon, Keith Minter, and all those who assisted me during the OUSET Award process. I am deeply thankful to my OU tutors, including Dr. Pam Cameron, Dr. Anne-Katrin Klehe, Dr. Gerry Hayden, Dr. Sam Nolan, and Dr. Sergey Lishchuk. Thank you for believing in me and for your commitment to helping students achieve their dreams. I am honored to be a recipient of the OUSET Award and will always remember the impact it has had on my life.

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I am a student of the Open University doing my Masters in Environmental Management. This was through scholarship from the Commonwealth Scholarship. In the course of my studies (due to some unavoidable circumstances), I needed some extra funds to allow me to finish my research project.

My research project is centred around existing knowledge and information on climate resilience and how this can be leveraged to improve the livelihoods of communities living in Arid and Semi-Arid areas in Kenya (with case studies in Turkana and Kitui counties).

When I was going into my MSc programme, I had a focus to improve community livelihoods by finding ways to avail clean water for consumption in households. This research takes it a step further and includes matters of resilience and climate change, in order to find out how much knowledge communities actually have, what capacity they might need and how academia and indigenous knowledge can be combined to improve their livelihoods - socially, economically and improve their access to clean water for use in the households.

Without the help of OUSET, I could not have been able to raise the needed funds (2,400 pounds) to complete my research project. I am now continuing with my research project, all thanks to the assistance from OUSET for which I will always be grateful and appreciative for.

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OUSET made continuing my studies possible for me.

My early childhood and teenage years were riddled with trauma and unfortunate events that led to me developing certain mental health challenges. These affected my confidence and made the ability to study and learn in conventional learning environments hard, even impossible, for me. For most of my youth I believed I wasn’t intelligent enough to succeed academically, and I believed that STEM subjects were only for “geniuses”, so I stayed far away from those. I ended up dropping out of school at 16 and tried to homeschool myself. I failed at that a few times, mostly because of my struggles with psychiatric disorders and the corresponding struggles with the medications involved, but by the time I was 20 I had a few AS-levels behind me. However, I had no idea what I was supposed to do with my life, my mental health was a mess, and I lacked proper guidance. For a few years I messed around, trying this and that, failing at each of them.

I was forced to “get off the meds” a few years later due to financial difficulties, and by some miracle I eventually managed to gain control of myself and started to get better. At 24 I found work as a waitress! I also decided that I wanted to learn mathematics and the sciences that year, so that I could go to University some day and get a degree, something I had been dreaming of since I was a small child. I had an interest in space and the stars - my most prized possessions to this day are two children’s non-fiction books about the planets, space, stars and constellations that I received as a birthday gift when I was about 8 or 9. I still have them with me.

So, I bought myself the IGCSE textbooks for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology and started working through them. I loved them all, but physics seemed to speak to me in a way nothing ever had before, from the first moment. This was when physics became my life, and I knew this was where I was meant to go. I studied my way through first the IGCSEs and then the AS-levels while working at the restaurant, and finally wrote and passed my exams when I was 28, with university exemption! The dream was en route!

I applied to study physics at university and was rejected. However, I was accepted for a life sciences degree, so I went for it wholeheartedly. After a few months I realized that It wasn’t working. I was miserable, I couldn’t stand what I was studying, the environment made it impossible for me to learn, and I was messing up again. I questioned my intelligence, my abilities, and my worth. I simply couldn’t pick up the information given during lectures. The only way I could learn was by studying on my own, working through textbooks from beginning to end, word for word, and figuring things out for myself. Doing this in addition to attending hours and hours of lectures and tutorials was proving physically impossible for me, and I fell horribly behind. In addition, my social skills are limited and I just couldn’t function in such a social setting. I became the scared, angry, depressed teenager who had dropped out of school all over again.

I started looking for distance learning courses that would allow me to continue studying physics in such a way that I wouldn’t need to be physically present and could learn and study by myself, the way I was good at it. I came across The Open University then and I knew it would be perfect for me. All the courses are online, even the practical experiments are remote! Being South African, and a rather broke one at that, the tuition fees were unattainable. I was also unable to apply for study loans since the OU is a foreign university. I looked for funding options everywhere, but I was out of luck. So, I did the only thing I could think of and approached family friends. They agreed to sponsor my tuition fees and that I could pay them back after I had graduated and started working. The dream was again en route!

I started studying again at 30, this time part-time, physics, and in a learning environment where I thrived! After three years of studying towards a BSc. in Physics at The Open University, I received the unfortunate news from my then sponsors that they could no longer afford to assist me with funding for my degree. This shattered my world. I had already done the research and knew there was no other way to pay for my studies. Then I found the OUSET and I thought there was no way they would sponsor me even though it did state on their website that international students could apply. To my amazement OUSET judged my case worthy of sponsorship, and I was able to continue for another year, enabling me to finish stage 2 of my degree. I admit I was in tears when I received the email!

I am incredibly grateful to have come this far in my journey towards hopefully becoming a physicist one day, largely thanks to OUSET for helping me climb that next step. I’m currently taking life one module at a time, hoping, and frantically scrambling to make a plan to fund my next module. I believe I will get there, and I certainly won’t stop trying to, even if it takes me a lifetime.

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Getting this grant has really helped with the costs of my education. My journey at the Open University has been incredibly enriching it has enabled me to focus entirely on my studies and academic interests, without the ongoing stress of handling extra expenses. I really appreciate the sense of security and support I've received, it's been incredibly motivating.

I am more than happy to share my story and highlight the positive impact OUSET's support has had on my educational journey. I believe that sharing our experiences can not only strengthen the Trust in its endeavours but also inspire other students facing similar challenges to seek assistance.

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As I live in Greece, the options for financial assistance were non-existent. As a result of my mental health issues, I was not able to pass my module and I felt very helpless and felt that I was not able to take the same module again. It meant a lot to me that OUSET helped me even though I failed my last module.

I explained the situation and OUSET were very understanding and without their help I would not have been able to re-take the module. That was very important to me because I felt like I was very much assisted, helped and not blamed and not being able to do anything about it.

I feel that without OUSET I wouldn’t have been able to succeed and acquire the qualification.

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The journey of completing university studies can be challenging, especially when faced with financial difficulties. However, the desire and passion for education can keep one motivated to overcome these challenges.

In these challenging situations, seeking help and support from organisations like OUSET can make a significant impact. OUSET provides assistance to struggling students, helping them to finish their studies.

Furthermore, attending events and conferences organised by the Open University (OU) can also be motivational and provide valuable support to everyone.

Educational journey is not a walk in the park. It is imperative to persevere and work hard, as the journey may take longer than expected, but the end goal of graduation is achievable.

I started my university application in 2004 and eventually joined OU in 2005/2006 academic year.

When I began my studies, I thought I would finish within 3 or at most 6 years but things did not go as planned. During the course of studies at the OU, I faced numerous financial challenges. Despite these challenges my desire and my passion for education kept me going.

I was determined to cross the bridge irrespective of the unprecedented challenges. While, I was struggling to make ends meet, I saw others graduating and I would say to myself that one day I will graduate just like others. I studied on pay as you go basis, and it took me years and years to cross that bridge. I could not have crossed the bridge on my own without OUSET intervention during the final stages.

I like getting involved in community activities and I am very passionate about offering help whenever it is possible. One faithful evening, I opened my email and saw voluntary application for OU general conference in Milton Keynes. Since I like volunteering, I applied and as God may have it my application was accepted. I went to the OU Student Conference in Milton Keynes and the conference changed my life. During the conference workshops, I met OUSET representatives and other groups, the interactions were remarkable.

Meanwhile, OUSET representatives explained their roles and gave me their leaflet. When I came back to London, I decided to reach out to them. I made an application, but my application was not approved because the deadline had passed. I waited for another academic year and made another application, guess what! My application was approved.

When I finished that module, the wind of my financial challenges blew once more. However, I was determined to cross the bridge because I have been watching others graduating. I must acknowledge that attending graduation ceremonies or watching the ceremonies on YouTube or other platforms were motivational. I remembered saying that I have been watching others receiving their graduation cylinders’ and one day people would watch me receive mine.

Notwithstanding, I believed that I have seen the lights at the end of the tunnel and there no way I can give up! I made another OUSET application, and it was approved. I finished my undergraduate studies in 2020/21 academic year and attended the graduation ceremony the following year. Maybe I had the highest guest at the graduation ceremony lol and I was very excited that my guest and others watched me raised my beloved Biafra national flag at the stage. What a memorable day!!!

Relections.

I was thinking of how I can change the world or at least make the world a better place for all of us. As this task seems impossible, the best option is for me to work on myself and be a better person. Since I cannot change the world, I can still change myself. Hopefully the change in me will have a positive impact on others. :) Do not give up! Work hard and you will be rewarded.

Additionally, while it may be difficult to change the world, focusing on personal growth and becoming a better person can have a positive and tremendous impact on others. Therefore, it is beneficial to change oneself and live a life of worthy of emulation. The key is to never give up and continue working towards your goals.

Am grateful to OU and OUSET, they made a tremendous impact in my life, and I will never forget it.

Nevertheless, it is good to attend OU events, they are not only motivational, they are life savers too.

Big thanks to Almighty God and big thanks to OU and OUSET. I am forever grateful.

The journey I started in 2005/2006 academic year finally ended in 2021.

What a journey!!!
Do not give up!!!
If I did it, I believe you can too. Good luck.

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Thanks to OUSET for helping me to complete my Environmental Science BA with the Open University. I now work as a GIS analyst, conservationist and I co-founded a local wildlife charity, Wildlife Friendly Otley in which I am working to create a wildlife friendly town where I live.

I am a disabled adult man but felt empowered and enabled after completing my degree, I went on to work in Ecological Consultancy and gained some experience there, before striking out on my own as a freelancer.

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I was considering studying again at 46, it was a difficult decision. At the time I was on pension and having a teenage daughter, a rocky marriage, and being a full-time caregiver to my geriatric mother where only partly making it seem impossible.

I started studying part-time, as that was the only way I could afford to study to begin with, for a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology. In the following two years as Greece’s economic crisis kept getting worse, I was left unable to pay for the module fees as we were struggling to make do. My income was shrinking and depts were piling up. At the time the only choice was to let go of my dream and give up on my studies.

As I was not ready to give up yet, after searching and talking with other students OUSET was brought to my attention. I applied for financial assistance and was given 100% coverage of the module fees, for multiple modules. Only because of OUSET I was able to get my degree at 52, with a 2.1 grade.

I am deeply grateful to OUSET for giving me the chance. Now at 61 I am a licensed psychologist in my country. I am fulfilling my dream, having a profession that I love that gives me a chance at a better life.

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I'm not quite sure where to begin. My journey has had its fair share of highs and lows, much like anyone else's.

So, let's start after high school. Unsure of my career path, I initially leaned towards aerospace engineering, which led me to move to Moscow for a couple of years. However, in 2016, my country's currency devalued by 50%, making it financially unfeasible to continue my studies there.

I returned home and started a small business selling salt lamps akin to Himalayan ones. Although this venture taught me valuable lessons, it wasn't really my passion. It was during this time that I discovered my true interest lay in data analysis.

This realization sparked my pursuit of this field, eventually leading me to enrol at the OU. My first year was incredibly fulfilling. Initially, I hadn't considered applying for grants or scholarships, assuming they were primarily for native students.

However, the devaluations that occurred during my first year of studies forced me to seek financial aid, and I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly the process went.

The support I received from OUSET meant the world to me, affirming others' belief in my future despite the hardships and I will forever be grateful for that.

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I am a student based in Poland, where our currency is way weaker than the British Pound, but I am trying my best for this not to impact my chances for a great education!

Throughout the course of my studies, a lot of things have happened - from death of loved ones, pandemic, losing a job, surviving an extremely toxic workspace and being unemployed for months at the time. It is needless to say; my financial situation hasn't been the best. OUSET came to the rescue in these hard moments!

I have been lucky enough to receive OUSET funding multiple times, allowing me to continue learning without worrying about how I am going to pay for necessities.

OUSET is also the best motivator - I have been working really hard to uphold great scores I receive from my coursework and assessments, so I can qualify for further funding in order not to abandon my studies.

I am extremely grateful for OUSET because without it, I wouldn't have a lot of the knowledge and learn the skills that make me more competitive in the job market.

I do not know whether this is the best description, but it's straight out of the heart and it hopefully shows my gratitude to the program!

I can clearly link a lot of the good sides of my current situation to Open University and OUSET in particular!

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I am so grateful to OUSET, I mentioned it the day of my graduation at Ely Cathedral (Cambridgeshire, UK).

While I was crossing the stage, I showed my respects for such a great institution and my gratitude for all the scholarships received during my studies at the OU. I encourage everyone in hardship to try to contact OUSET through the student’s association at the OU.

I miss the UK so much. UK, Australia, Canada and USA are offering great scholarships for medical school (postgraduate education in these countries except in UK) accelerated or mature entry (when you already hold one or 2 degrees related to health).

Thanks as well to the university in general during the pandemic of Covid-19 for buying me a new laptop to study and for offering to pay electricity and food bills. No other university has done something like that.

I really encourage prospective students to enrol at the OU without any doubt, the best European distance education institution and it does have a friendship with UNED (Spanish Open University) since 2010, so degrees should be valid in both countries because of that collaboration (Spain-UK) agreement. That way the students does not have to wait for long to homologate a degree already accepted by law and respected around the world because it is an OU degree. Congratulations for the recent recognition of teaching excellence university 2023.

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