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Support for Masters Degree at University

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I’m Pema, 22 and from Scotland hoping to study in London this September 2020.


Since losing my dad in February to cancer I felt like I had lost everything and had nowhere to go with very few people I could rely on. I have been grieving whilst also planning to study a masters degree this September, which during coronavirus almost made it impossible. I had no options, no family I could turn to and somehow I managed to get accepted onto a course at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) to study a masters degree in Immunology of Infectious Diseases. For reference, LSHTM was ranked 1st in Europe and 8th in the world for research impact in sciences (2019 CWTS Leiden Ranking), as well as 3rd in public health (2018 Shanghai World Ranking).

More recently, you may have seen various members of the School involved directly with the UK government in the fight against coronavirus. In essence, this good news seemed almost too good to be true after the past year.

However, the maximum student loan available to me is £2,500 short of tuition fees, and living expenses in London are extremely high, so in order to go this is something I need to compensate. I have until the 7th of September to finance this degree. Instead of focusing on the hardships I have experienced that have made achieving my goal so much harder, I would prefer to talk about what this degree would do for not just myself, but hopefully, many others.

I have always been extremely passionate about public health, having witnessed first hand in SE Asia the chaos caused by the SARS pandemic. Since then, I have undertaken a degree in Biochemistry and Biology with a strong focus on immunology and infection, all in hopes of one day being able to attend LSHTM, whose prospective I have had since I was 15 years old. My overall goal is to focus on the eradication of malaria and various other neglected tropical diseases in developing countries. In 2018, there were 405,000 deaths attributed to malaria. To put that into perspective, COVID-19 deaths currently surpasses 500,000. Malaria and other neglected tropical diseases are just as large a concern but are often underfunded and not studied to the same extent as other diseases that affect first world countries. After achieving my MSc I will apply for additional funding and hopefully secure a PhD to further research these diseases, in order to eventually become a leader in public health, with a strong focus on disease in developing countries. 


In order to assure you your funding is worthwhile, I pledge to start a blog where I post monthly updates on my situation, and learning development. 


Although this is hard to ask, I feel like I have no other option and would please ask you to consider donating or even sharing this message, to help me help so many more.

Organizer

Pema Dorje
Organizer

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