Published on 30 May 2024
![Sunderland Santander Brighter Future Scholars (L-R): Midhun Prasi Kumar, Ogonna Nwodo, Bethany Doe and Matthew Shevlin](https://cmsasset.sunderland.ac.uk/podcasts/santander main.jpg)
Every year the Santander Brighter Futures Grants Programme gives away 10 lots of £1,000 exclusively for University of Sunderland students to help them focus on their studies, and this year’s recipients have just been announced.
They are: Shannon Brown (Business and Human Resources Management), Louise Calder (Pharmacy), Bethany Doe (Nursing), Laura Doughty (Midwifery), Cross Hiaria (Business and Management), Midhun Prasi Kumar (Mechanical Engineering), Ogonna Nwodo (Applied Project Management), Rachel Nabulu Olesambu (Law), Claudia Pilbak (Social Media Management) and Matthew Shevlin (Primary Education).
Each one will receive £1,000, courtesy of our partners at Santander.
Laura Doughty, 35, from Gateshead, is in the first year of her Midwifery degree. “I absolutely love midwifery, but I work 13-hour shifts on placement and start very early in the morning and finish late at night. Getting public transportation is very hard, it takes over an hour each way and it is difficult to work it around childcare for my three children and my husband who works nightshift.
“I am going to use the money to hopefully pass my driving test! Driving would more than half my journey, so would make my life so much more manageable, and I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity.”
Matthew Shevlin, 19, from Sunderland is in the first year of his Primary Education degree. He says: “I applied for the grant as a bit extra help for travelling to placements for fuel and clothes. I will have to lose hours at work next year due to placements so this will be a big help to supplement the travel to the schools I will be visiting.”
![Sunderland Santander Brighter Future Scholars](https://cmsasset.sunderland.ac.uk/podcasts/santander main.jpg)
Midhun Prasi Kumar, 24, from Kerala in India, is in the final year of his Mechanical Engineering degree.
“The Santander Brighter Futures grant is an excellent opportunity that aligned with my academic and career aspirations. With the grant funds, I plan to fund further studies.”
Beth Doe, 23, from Nottinghamshire is a third year Nursing student. She says the Santander Brighter Futures grant has proved to be a real lifesaver. “Money might not buy happiness, but it does buy food.
“The Santander Brighter Futures grant will cover my expenses."
Santander Universities’ mission is to support students into university, work and self-employment. Collaborating with a large network of university partners, they have spent over 10 successful years removing barriers to higher education and, in turn, providing life changing opportunities to students from across the country.
The Santander Brighter Futures Grants Programme will launch again in October 2024.