My ESG Scholarship

The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation’s (TMBDLF) ESG scholarship really appealed to me because it was related directly to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) sector, which I’ve been interested in for some time. It came from TMBDLF’s partnership with One Young World Bath (OYWB) 2022, an event that I attended.

It was very exciting not only to actually win the scholarship, but also experience everything that comes with it. For example, I met Miranda Brawn herself at the Foundation’s annual conference when I won the scholarship. She is someone that has a lot of experience and I was really honoured to meet her in person.

The scholarship also comes with mentoring. We’re paired with people who are working in sectors that we want to be in in the future, so my mentor is working in ESG. It has been a valuable and eye-opening experience so far.

Feeling heard at OYWB 2022

At OYWB 2022 I volunteered to be part of the caucus team. I was already very interested in the work OYWB was doing, and One Young World in general.

I was also able to attend as a delegate, which gave me the chance to assist in different workshops. This was brilliant; I felt in those moments that my voice was being heard.

There were so many professionals at the event. During roundtables and discussions, we spoke about things like educational issues in Africa and using technology to help people living in poverty. These are topics I’m interested in, so it was really a privilege to get to talk about those things with professionals working in those fields.

It was a great event. I would recommend it to everyone interested in making a positive social impact.

A network of change makers

I’ve always wanted to work in a field that generates positive social change.

Getting to learn more about these areas at OYWB 2022 showed me how there are networks of change makers out there - it made me want to be part of those networks. Hearing the experiences of the entrepreneurs and professionals that came to the conference was inspiring.

Freedom in my studies

I am from Algeria and always wanted to study in the UK. I chose BSc (Hons) Politics with Economics and am really enjoying the course.

I’ve recently been studying my favourite unit: ‘Contemporary Politics of the Middle East’. It’s great because there’s a small class for this unit and the lecturer makes each session interactive. It’s felt like being in school again, but in a really good way. Everyone speaks and gives opinions; it’s very intellectually stimulating.

We have the freedom to choose modules that we’re interested in, and even for the mandatory ones we have the opportunity to focus on certain aspects. I’ve been doing my research on topics I’m interested in, and I really enjoy that.

My career ambitions

After I graduate, I really want to work in an area like sustainability consulting, ESG, or corporate responsibility. It seems the natural path for me because I'm really interested in the social governance aspect of my course.

In the long run, I think what would be ideal for me is to work in a think tank in the field of sustainability research. I love the concept and the fact that in a think tank you work with like-minded people to make a real impact. It would be a privilege to research things that are actually happening and make a contribution that improves people’s situations.