Scholarship recipients: James (left) and Toby (right)

Continued support for Widening Participation Scholarships

Alumnus Mark Waghorn (Law, 1988) established two scholarships in 2017, named after his parents, to support individuals coming from low income backgrounds to study at Exeter.

The Brian Waghorn Scholarship was awarded to Biological Sciences student, James Graham, who has been supported by the award over the last three years of study. As James achieved high academic results he was able to transfer to the MSci variation of his programme enabling him to undertake a fourth year, during which he will undertake a research project, and graduate with a Master in Science degree in 2022. Thanks to the generous support from Mark, the scholarship was extended by a further year in order to ensure James could take full advantage of this additional year, and progress his career potential, without financial worry. James commented “The extension of my scholarship for another year is very unexpected and great news! Mark’s generosity has made such a difference to my time at Exeter so far and opened so many incredible opportunities for me, and I’m sure this will continue to be the case next year! In fact I have arranged a summer internship with an antibody research company in Oxford for this summer, and without this scholarship I wouldn’t have been able to afford to rent somewhere to live while I work there. I will always be thankful for the opportunities this scholarship has provided me with.”

Mark’s second scholarship, The Julia Davies Scholarship, was awarded to Environmental Science student, Toby Cogan, who graduates this year with a BSc. Toby commented “I am hugely thankful for the funding I have received towards my academic studies, it has allowed me to focus on my studies without the worry of monetary stresses. Further to this, the knowledge that Mark has supported me throughout my time at Exeter has been hugely motivating for me to perform to my highest standard.” A second recipient who commences their degree in September 2021 will also benefit from the opportunity to receive the award.

Mark said of his motivation to support the awards “I was the first generation of my family to attend university and was lucky enough to have much of that paid for by the state: no fees and a full maintenance grant. I am very keen to ensure that talented students who come from a less privileged background also have that opportunity and are not deterred by the financial costs.”

Date: 7 June 2021