Dudley woman wins Millennium Point Trust Scholarship
A Dudley woman has been named the winner of this year's Millennium Point Charitable Trust Scholarship – earning her a fully-funded undergraduate degree at Birmingham City University.
The 37-year-old mother-of-five is currently studying social science and humanities at Dudley College, with the aim to read for a degree in planning at university.
Following an assessment day earlier this month, which included individual presentations to the panel of five judges, Asima was selected to be the latest recipient of the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship. Finalists were chosen following a competitive open call for applications from across the West Midlands earlier this year.
Asima said: “Being told I had won felt amazing – I was shocked and got quite emotional – I couldn’t believe that someone would do something like this for me.
“I feel very lucky, knowing how hard everyone has worked to raise this money and then helped me with it, makes me want to work even harder and do well. I know I have the potential to do well, I just needed the opportunity and support.
“I am so excited and looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I hope I can be an inspiration to everyone who thinks that they can’t do it, because if I can do it, you can too.”
Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point and head judge, added: “We were really impressed by the quality of all the finalists; their passion, drive and knowledge of not only their own chosen subject but STEM in general.
“Asima embodies everything about the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship, which is here to support individuals with true grit and determination to succeed, and through their studies aim to have a positive influence on society in the West Midlands. Asima will be an excellent ambassador for Millennium Point Trust, proving that we can all achieve our dreams, no matter what life throws in our way. Asima will also be an excellent role model for women in STEM.”
“The scholarship is the flagship initiative from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust and exemplifies our commitment to supporting STEM; in 2020 alone, the Trust invested more than £560,000 in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives, based in the West Midlands.”
