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By far the best people to tell SIET's story are the extraordinary young people who we fund as fellows. The trust is lucky to be able to work with these changemakers, whose hard work and determination is transforming both themselves and the world around them.
Legal Studies in the Big Apple
"By far the most educational and formative year to date".
Evan Rush's story is typical of the extraordinary young people SIET is able to support but no less remarkable for that. Originally from a small town in the west of Scotland, he secured a place at the University of Glasgow to study law, using what he describes as 'a widening access route'. After successfully completing his degree, he applied for an LLM in International Law at New York University.
SIET was able to help him with the cost of the course and living in the Big Apple.
Exploring a World of Music
"This has really opened my eyes to how interesting it is to ... experience the world through different lenses and see different perspectives."
Rachel Groves is a young Scottish musician, studying at Berklee Valencia - the European Campus of the Boston-based music school. She had secured another scholarship to meet a large part of the fees for her course but there was still a significant shortfall, which SIET was able to help her bridge.
Daunting, overwhelming, exciting...
"The award has been, for me personally, much more than just financial help. It was a really huge confidence boost to know that someone believed in me."
Carolyn Edmondson was a mature student returning to study the role of fashion in climate change and, with some support from SIET, she was able to do so in Berlin. She explains that the grant was about more than money (but thank you for the money!).
Exploring Security in a Time of Change
"The funding from SIET has been a life raft for me... that I'm doing the right thing, that my research is worth something, and that I'm talented enough to get funding."
Cody June Cunningham is a young, working class Scot whose masters in international security studies faced its own foreign policy challenge when Brexit blocked her Erasmus Scholarship internship in Vienna. A grant from SIET cleared the way and provided a welcome confidence boost at the same time.
Finding Safe Water Among the Ice
"The scholarship I received has helped with my first trip to the Arctic - and I've managed to stay."
Following degrees at Heriot Watt University and the University of Aberdeen, Caroline Duncan secured a place on the civil engineering doctoral programme at York University in Canada. Her work focuses on securing clean drinking water in the Arctic and SIET was able to help her get above the 69th parallel for the first time - she loves it so much, she's planning to stay!