The University of Oxford is delighted to announce its first scholarship scheme for UK undergraduates of Black African and Caribbean heritage who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The programme has been made possible thanks to the generosity of Arlan Hamilton, one of the world’s most influential women in innovation.
Beginning in 2020, the Oxford-Arlan Hamilton and Earline Butler Sims Scholarship Programme will fully cover the fees and living costs of one undergraduate student per year, for a total of three years. Each beneficiary will also be provided with an internship grant of £3,000 in order to enhance their employability.
In addition, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to work closely with the Oxford Foundry, the University’s dedicated student and alumni entrepreneurship centre, as well as with ventures on the L.E.V8 accelerator, to enhance their leadership skills and entrepreneurial mindset. Arlan was recently appointed as an Honorary Advisor at the Oxford Foundry, and serves as an ambassador for the centre’s L.E.V8 Women programme.
Candidates will be selected for the scholarship using indicators of disadvantage as well as an essay outlining why they should be chosen, and how they would use the opportunity to give back to society.
Arlan is the founder and managing partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm that exclusively invests in companies founded by women, people of colour and LGBTQ entrepreneurs. Having overcome her own share of hardships on her journey to success, Arlan now aims to live in gratitude by giving back. Her primary motivation for establishing the scholarship programme, which was named after her mother, is to inspire others to create opportunities for black scholars at leading universities around the world.
‘I just really want someone who didn't, or wouldn't, have had the opportunity to go to this University, to do so,’ she explains. ‘I want them to be truly nurtured and able to focus on themselves, instead of worrying about the things, that perhaps, I have had to worry about in the past – like how you are going to pay your rent while trying to get an education. I want them to be able to focus on the things that fuel and give them life.
‘I know it is going to be very competitive because there are so many wonderful, talented people in the UK. But I also know that the person who receives it will truly want and deserve it. I can't wait to meet the first student who will be the beneficiary of the scholarship. I'm so proud to be able to provide it for you.’
This announcement comes at the end of a landmark year for access at Oxford, which has seen the expansion of flagship state-school residential programme UNIQ, and the unveiling of two new initiatives: Opportunity Oxford and Foundation Oxford.
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education, Professor Martin Williams, says: ‘In 2019, Oxford University’s commitment to ensuring every academically talented student in the country knows that they have a fair chance at a place at Oxford has been clear to see. Colleagues from across the University, its colleges, departments and our partners have united behind a commitment to accelerate the pace at which we are diversifying our student body.
‘I am delighted that Arlan has chosen Oxford for this generous gift. Finance should not be a barrier to opportunity or education, and I hope that this announcement reminds black students across the country that there are opportunities for them at the University.’
Esther Ogbolade, an undergraduate student studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oriel College, and former President of the Oxford African and Caribbean Society, adds: ‘This is such an amazing opportunity that will help to break the glass ceiling that many black students face when trying to access top institutions like the University of Oxford.’