I have been on a journey of self-discovery and uncovered new strengths and weaknesses, as well as the direction of my life that I want to go in.
Mashiyath was one of six students awarded the Summer School Academic Director's Scholarship in 2021, studying IR115: Culture and Globalisation.
"The prospect of studying at LSE has always been incredibly exciting to me particularly because of its prestigious reputation in Politics and International Relations. I am also a huge fan of many LSE academics and familiar with a great deal of their work. I have been planning on studying my master’s degree at LSE for some time, so when I saw there was a scholarship opportunity for the Summer School programme, I jumped at this chance to get a taster of LSE life and applied."
"My application was successful, and I received a Scholarship in the Responsible Leadership area. I believe that I was awarded the Scholarship because LSE recognised that this opportunity would provide me with an extra boost of knowledge to fulfil my aspirations within social justice campaigns, and would complement the extensive experience that I have already. During my studies at my home university, QMUL, I have taken part in many leadership roles such as being president of the QMUL Feminist Society, being a part of ParliaMentors – a programme aimed at future community leaders to run a local social action project, and the Rise Up Programme by Amnesty International UK – a programme aimed at young activists providing campaign and leadership training. "
"Studying International Law gave me great insight into how injustices of race, gender and colonialism impacts the current global law system. Exploring the relationship between countries and the problems which rise from transnational arbitration was something new to me, as I had never studied law and wanted to have a taste of something new, yet my political knowledge provided me with a strong base to begin from. "
"In International Law my favourite topics were Environmental Law, Human Rights Law and Cyber Law. The lecturers were engaging and interactive – it felt like a classroom due to the small size, enabling everyone to make comments and answer questions. My favourite part of the learning experience was the seminars, specifically the debates which were fun and got the class laughing with the dramatics! Through debates we improved our problem-solving and public speaking skills. Prior to the course I had not taken part in a debate. It was fun and an effective way to learn the course content!"
"My course mates were very sociable, and we made it a tradition to go for lunch together every day. The British sunshine made for great evenings out, including visiting Covent Garden, the National Gallery and going out for meals after class. I have made so many life-long friends from different countries, cultures and who study in different fields. I will never be short of people to turn to for career related advise!"
"To sum my experience up, I would say that the scholarship has given me a once in a lifetime opportunity. I have been on a journey of self-discovery and uncovered new strengths and weaknesses, as well as the direction of my life that I want to go in. I took a risk in choosing to study law – an avenue I don’t believe I would otherwise have the means to explore, and it was worth it. Despite time flying at LSE Summer School, every day I learnt something new and in the short space of three weeks I developed immensely both academically and personally. "
Find out more about the LSE Summer School Academic Director's Scholarship.