Hi, my name is Mellvon. I'm an international student from Grenada, and I’m approaching the end of the first term of my final year of a four-year undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kent at Canterbury. I am seeking support to continue my studies in Higher Education, which, due to changes in my financial circumstance, I am at risk of being unable to fund in my final year.
Engineering has been a passion of mine since I was a young boy. Growing up in Grenada, I never thought that University and a professional career would be an option for me. When I left school, I went to work as a trainee mechanic in the autoshop my father worked at. After a few years of working there, I met a customer who saw potential in me and encouraged me to apply for a scholarship to further my education. I applied and was offered a full scholarship, paying fees for a foundation year in Grenada followed by three years for an undergraduate degree abroad. I considered where to apply for my degree and decided on the UK, thinking this would give me a fresh start and offer an opportunity for me to progress. I chose to study at Canterbury because their programme offered the equipment and lab work I was interested in.
This was a life-changing opportunity for me, and I recognised it as such. I studied hard in my foundation year and achieved a merit. I packed my suitcase and set off on the 12-hour plane journey, not knowing a single person in the country or what to expect from university at all.
During my first year of study, I found being in a new country created a lot of challenges. This was a new way of living for me, with systems I didn’t know how to navigate and people whose culture was familiar but fundamentally different – I went from being part of the majority in Grenada to being a minority in the UK. I quickly had to come to terms with the relative expensiveness of the UK and the coldness of the weather! I managed to get a part-time job and studied hard during my first year – also achieving a merit at the end of year exams.
I was optimistic when I entered my second year of the course. I had performed well in the last 2 years, I had a job, a place to live and a new girlfriend I had recently started dating. Then, a little into the first term, I got a throat infection. At first, I wasn’t too concerned that this was anything other than a regular virus. But as I got progressively more unwell, my girlfriend called an ambulance and I found out the infection had developed into sepsis, and I was seriously ill. I was hospitalized for treatment and when I was released I found myself unable to eat properly, concentrate or study effectively for some time afterwards.
By Christmas of that year, I was starting to get better physically but I was finding it harder to cope with the pressures of study and work. I think this was caused in part due to my isolation from family and not having many close friends in the UK who I could turn to. I started to overcome this but then, but then the next months, I developed an abscess in my eye which left me partially blinded for four weeks and required me to attend hospital several times for treatment, pre and post.
At the same time, my relationship with my girlfriend ended and I learned of some health issues affecting close relatives back home. My attendance and ability to focus on my studies was impaired. I was really concerned that my education was suffering, and I knew I had to get help to feel better, but mental health is not really discussed in Grenada like it is in the UK, so I was unsure of how to move forward. Fortunately, I got support from the University Student Support Services and things started to feel better. Unfortunately, because of my illnesses, I under-performed in my end of year exams. The University acknowledged that I had mitigating circumstances and allowed me to repeat my second year as a first attempt.
I was pleased that I still have the possibility of getting a high degree classification, but this presented me with a financial problem – I had funding for three years of the degree but not the additional year I would have to sit due to the repeat. I approached my Foundation about this, but they are unfortunately closing in the near future and are unable to help me further.
Alongside my studies, I have held a part-time job to cover the cost of living but as an international student there are restrictions on how many hours I can work. I haven't been able to find a job that pays enough to cover rent, bills, food and allows me to save for tuition fees (which are £22800) all within the hours I am allowed to work. I’ve looked at various options, approaching the University, the student Unions and other organisations that offer small grants to international students. Despite completing many applications over the past year, I have not been successful in securing any funding.
Fortunately, my family and friends were able to support me with contributions for the first term of study (£9080) but they are unable to support me further. I am therefore seeking support via this GoFundMe for the remainder of the fees (£9080 for the spring term and £4640 for the final term).
Repeating my second year was a positive experience and I performed well overall in my end of year assessments. I've tried really hard to learn from my experiences over the past year. I applied myself academically during my repeat year and worked hard to improve my physical and emotional wellbeing. I have a good support network in place now and feel more resilient moving forward. The only hurdle I have to overcome is the financial cost of completing my degree. My aspiration for the future is to qualify as a mechanical engineer and to get sponsorship for a professional job, preferably in the field of renewable/sustainable energy. I hope to remain in the UK after graduation and to find a way of contributing to society, both in the UK and globally. I know that this won’t be possible unless I qualify with my degree.
If there is any financial support that you can offer me that would enable me to complete my degree, I promise that I will commit to trying my very best in my third year, I will apply myself to my studies and learn everything I can to realise my aspirations.
I know that my studies are a life-changing opportunity for me, and I would be forever grateful if you could support me to complete them.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Organiser
Mellvon Edwards
Organiser
England