A North West Regional College student is 'thrilled to bits' after receiving a huge £20,000 bursary from global giant, Amazon.
Clare Hamilton who studied the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Information Technology at Derry's NWRC has just begun a Degree in Computer Science at Queen’s University Belfast.
The 20 year-old who was home-schooled until she joined the college in 2020 is one of only 30 recipients of the award, open to female students in the UK.
Read more: NI nurses working 12 hours a day full-time struggling to put food on table for their families
She said: "I.T. is a brilliant course to study and I’m so glad that I came to NWRC for my Level 3 BTEC. My lecturer Violet Toland told me that the course could lead to many opportunities, especially if you are a female intending to work in a STEM area, and she was right.
“She encouraged me to apply for the bursary and I couldn’t believe it when I got the news that I had been successful. The Amazon Future Engineer Bursary Award is £20,000 towards my University Tuition Fees, accommodation, and maintenance. It’s a big help for any student.
“I’d say to any student in fifth year now to think about doing an I.T. course at NWRC instead of going to sixth form. There are so many good career options ahead of you including programming, web development, and project management. I really enjoyed studying I.T. at NWRC – during my time there I also received a NavComm Scholarship and was awarded a Best in Further Education award.”
Violet Toland, Higher Education Curriculum Lead and Lecturer in Computing at NWRC said: "Clare’s bursary from Amazon is fantastic news and is a great affirmation of the life changes that can happen studying computing courses at our college. I am just so delighted for this young woman who has worked so hard to achieve outstanding results during her time with us at NWRC.
"This is what we do every day at NWRC, help to change lives and encourage our young people so they can go on to fantastic careers in the technology industry both on a local level and globally."
The Amazon Future Engineer bursary is a national bursary programme aimed at supporting women A-level and BTEC/OCR(or Scottish equivalent) students who wish to study computer science or related engineering courses at UK universities.
The award is worth up to £5,000 a year for up to four years and recipients will also receive support from Amazon mentors during their studies as they prepare to get on the career ladder.
READ NEXT:
- Derry business facing "very bleak" future after huge energy bill hike
- Enagh Lough safety to be addressed following the deaths of two teenagers
- Derry musician set for world-renowned festival over 4,000 miles away from home
- Further delays to Buncrana Road widening scheme in Derry "extremely disappointing"
To get the latest breaking news from Co Derry straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
