The Scholarship that truly changed my life

Written by Corey Jones, BA Digital Media (Int), 2021 Laidlaw Scholar

Ambitious. Brave. Curious. Determined. Extraordinary. Fast.

To you, they might just seem like 6 random words, in alphabetical order. But to me, they opened so many doors which led to so many friends and so many memories. I remember hearing from my cousin that she’d been a Laidlaw Scholar during her time at Leeds, so the Laidlaw Leadership & Research Programme had always been in the back of my mind. I’d gathered my references, prepared my essay, and finished my application. I submitted it, thinking ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’

I made it through the application process, through the assessment centre, and through the interview. On 29 March 2021, I received an email:

“Congratulations! I am delighted to inform you that you have been successful, and we would like you to join the 2021 cohort of Laidlaw Scholars.”

Since then, I’ve been part of an amazing group of people, some of whom I call my best friends.

I spent the summer of 2021 meeting the new scholars on a leadership retreat in the Yorkshire Dales, scrambling through caves, hiking up Pen-Y-Ghent and collaborating on an 8,000-word research report, uncovering the relationship between the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, transnational education, and final year capstone projects.

To work on a project of such high calibre, with a world-renowned academic, and with the support of other scholars was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. I remember the day we handed the project in–the sense of completion, relief and excitement for the next stage of the scholarship.

The next year was full of networking with the other scholars and leadership and development workshops as we planned a leadership-in-action project.

I spent the summer of 2022 in a little village, Toga (pronounced To-n-ga) in Fiji, with 20 other Laidlaw scholars from universities around the world. Being thrown into a place that was so unfamiliar to us was scary, but I’d never felt more determined to use the skills I’d developed over the past year and make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

When we arrived, my Fijian family, comprised of my younger brother Junior, my younger sister Luisa, and my Nene (Mum) Lice, and Tou (Dad) Mitieli, presented us with the most beautiful handmade flower garlands and cooked us a feast. We swam, we ate, we built a community health clinic, we told stories about our childhood, we played cards, we delivered workshops on leadership and advocacy, and we found our second home.

And that’s when I learnt that home isn’t a place, it’s the people. And I can’t thank the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme enough for the opportunities, the people, and the memories.

If you’re thinking about applying, just do it. It will be the best thing you’ll ever do. I promise.