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Congratulations to Westminster City School's Sixth Form students, Tsepo and Isabelle who are winners of the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme Bursaries. 

Each PCAS bursary covers full university tuition fees and provides a monthly stipend of up to £1,000 for living expenses. Additionally, the runners up, Emma and Sawad, will both receive bursaries that covers their full university tuition fees.

On Wednesday 11 May, four students in Year 12 at Westminster City School’s Sixth Form attended a morning of interviews as part of the selection process for the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme (PCAS), which has resulted in two students gaining a full scholarship for university and the runners up receiving funding toward their education.

As part of the application process, students had to initially express their interest in the scheme to teachers, then shortlisted candidates had to write an essay that explained their thinking beyond their choices for university.

Year 12 student, Isabelle, who is one of two winners said that she felt incredibly proud to have made the shortlist of four, due to the competitiveness.

Isabelle explained why she was inclined to apply for the bursary scheme saying:

“I am determined to succeed as a woman in STEM and this amazing opportunity was one that really excited me.

“My immediate plan is to secure strong A Level grades and successfully apply to Bath University for the Aerospace Engineering degree. I believe that in 5 years’ time I will start my first day at Space X engineering, in Hawthorne California. I will be looking forward, as a Space X graduate employee, to working on programs and projects with the potential to notably impact our lives on Earth and beyond the stars.”

Tsepo, who is also a winner of the PCAS bursary added:

“Ever since the age of 13, I was very interested in business and pursuing my entrepreneurial skills. After sitting through the assembly that Su Park presented, I knew that Polar Capital would help me to develop my business and entrepreneurial skills further. Learning that they oversee £22.1 billion as of the 31 March 2022 in assets, I was very intrigued into the process of holding investors’ money into different stocks.

“When I was told that I was selected to be shortlisted for an interview, I was absolutely elated.”

Su Park, Managing Director European Sales and Chair of PCAS said:

“The whole experience of designing, launching and implementing the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme has been hugely rewarding. The students who applied, all from such diverse backgrounds, were all high achieving and beyond impressive, making our task of selecting two winners quite challenging. We are delighted that with the PCAS bursaries, we can do our part to help these students obtain their further educational goals and support them in the careers they’re most interested in.”

Andrew Holliman, Partner and North American Fund Manager at Polar Capital said:

“It was an immensely difficult task picking the finalists and the winners as the standard was so high. I think all the interviewers agreed that we were not as accomplished in so many ways as the finalists we met when we were that age (though it was so long ago). It was a fun and uplifting experience spending time with such positive and assured young people.”

Rachel Stynes, Human Resources Manager at Polar Capital said:

“Meeting the candidates was a very humbling experience. Their thoughtfulness, maturity and concern for social justice and the future of the planet was incredibly uplifting.  While there is a lot of pressure being placed on their young shoulders, their passion and drive to make a difference in the world is very reassuring. One feels the future is in good hands.”

Boura Kym Tomlinson Cann, Global Chief Legal and Compliance Officer said: 

"A huge thank you to Westminster City School and the students for their support and participation in a successful inaugural year of the Aspire programme. We were incredibly impressed by the quality of applications received and the exceptional candidates whom we had the pleasure to meet. The candidates truly lived up to the name of the programme, aspiring to pursue excellent university degrees to achieve their dreams and to bring a better and more diverse tomorrow. We look forward to working with the candidates as we support them to achieve their goals."   

Additional information about Polar Capital and the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme (PCAS) can be found using the link here.