Attitude’s LGBTQ+ scholarship students at the University of Hull have shared their feelings on how the extra support has boosted their confidence, showed solidarity, and made them feel they belong.
The scholarships were launched by the University of Hull to support the LGBTQ+ community in partnership with Attitude Magazine — the UK’s best-selling gay magazine — and were awarded to recipients starting their studies last semester.
The Attitude Magazine Foundation Scholarship is supporting six students from the LGBTQ+ community with £1,000 each to support the cost of their studies at Hull.
Attitude Magazine Foundation is part of Attitude Magazine the UK’s best-selling gay magazine.
The Attitude scholarships build on the University’s commitment to widening participation at Higher Education level, and follows the success of the Jeremy Round Scholarship.
First-year student Victor said: “The scholarship from Attitude Magazine has given me much more than financial support with my studies — which is in itself vital in supporting my family back home as well as myself in the current times.
“In being recognised by the Foundation, I have been shown solidarity as a disabled member of the LGBT+ community, and have had my voice uplifted and heard during the process.
“It’s easy to feel alone, especially while everything is imploding behind the scenes. Moving to University, as well, can add a new fear of not finding a place where you belong. But the Foundation has reignited my hope in there being a place for me in the community, regardless of my difference.
“This scholarship has played a huge role in solidifying my confidence and placing a marker at my feet at the University of Hull as if to say “This is it. This is where you belong.”
Jonathan Greenwood, Trusts and Foundations Manager at the University of Hull, said: “As a gay member of staff and graduate of the University of Hull, I am incredibly proud to have worked with the Foundation to develop the first LGBTQ+ undergraduate scholarship here at the University of Hull.
“I hope this pioneering initiative will support many students to have the confidence to live life as their true selves.”
First-year student Noah, who identifies as a bisexual trans man, said: “This money has meant a lot to me. I was worried about coming to university without the financial support of both parents, but this award has allowed me to have a safety net.
“It’s released part of my anxiety about having enough money to afford food and generally makes me enjoy the experience of university a lot more. I’ve used part of the money to buy a digital art tablet. As a film student, this has helped greatly in the pursuit of my degree.”