2024 Beneficiaries
Our 2025 postgraduate beneficiaries include a trainee doctor, an aspirant mental health nurse, a student of Visual Communications with an ambition to design tattoos, and a water engineer. In addition EBSF supported an undergraduate student of International politics who is seriously visually impaired. 2025 also saw the graduation of our first PhD.
Deborah Raji came to Britain from Nigeria at the age of nine and was in care till 16. Despite difficulties at school she won distinctions at A level. Denied leave to remain through a bureaucratic error, Deborah was unable to get a student loan to study Bioscience at the University of Lincoln, but EBSF was able to support her with a grant and she gained her BSc.
Now a British citizen, Deborah's ambition is become a doctor. She was accepted on an MSc course in Reproductive Development at Sheffield, which would have enabled her to work in health but not as a doctor. But then, only a few weeks before term started, Deborah was offered a graduate entry place to study medicine as the University of Edinburgh.
Deborah has been denied maintenance support from the government. But she is determined to go ahead with her five year course. EBSF is committed to making that possible, and is supporting Deborah in her dream to become a doctor.
Zenub Bibi was born into the foster care system, was married at 14 and had two baby taken for adoption. Despite being permanently expelled from school, she won a place at Coventry University, gaining a 2:1. Now 27, Zenub is studying a postgraduate course in mental health nursing at Newman University in Birmingham. EBSF has given her a postgraduate bursary. Zenub’s aim is to become an Advanced Clinical Practitioner and open her own clinical practice. She wants her adopted children to see how successful she’s been.
Sabina Begum was in foster care from 11 to 19. She still suffers from a long term blood disorder which disrupted her teens, led to long periods in hospital and prevented her from going to school as a child. She managed to study in college and gained qualifications for university. While studying for a BEng in chemical engineering at Aston, she did a placement with the engineering consultancy firm Jacobs. Now she has gained her first class MEng, she is returning to Jacobs to work as a Graduate Process Engineer. She is also joining Aston University’s Industrial Advisory Board. In a letter to EBSF, Sabina commented: “Receiving the bursary and your support during my studies made a genuine difference to my university journey. I will always be deeply grateful for the opportunity you gave me”.
Sabina’s biggest dream is to become an accredited chartered chemical engineer.
Rowan Thompson was in care from the age of three, and often felt he wanted to abandon education. However, he gained an A* in Art GCSE and was encouraged by his 18+ aftercare worker to take his art portfolio round universities, and was accepted on to a Fine Arts undergraduate course at Northampton. Now Rowan is starting a postgraduate course in Visual Communications, also at Northampton. In parallel, he is doing a six month apprenticeship in tattooing. EBSF has awarded him a postgraduate bursary.
In care since he was two, Brandon Little had four long foster placements, attended numerous secondary schools, and was attracted to the performing arts. However his enthusiasm for politics led him to change track. Brandon is now studying for a BA in International Politics at Stirling University, with the ultimate ambition of becoming a diplomat. Brandon was born visually impaired and is registered blind. He has a little sight but needs a specialist i-pad and large-screen i-phone. EBSF gave him £3,000 to purchase this equipment.
For the first time, the Eve Brook Scholarship Fund has supported a student throughout her PhD course. Having gained a first in Biomedical Science, she was invited to embark on a PhD to explore the causes of a rare and hitherto untreatable kidney disease which particularly afflicts children. Her lab work lasted three years, in each of which EBSF granted her a postgraduate bursary to help with personal expenses. During her period of study, she published four articles related to her work, which is helping to understand the disease and to ultimately progress diagnosis and treatment.
Her thesis was approved and she now has a PhD. She says: “This has been my life for the last four years. The entire journey has been extremely tough, but now I miss it”. She is now working full-time for a global life science company.