Northumbria
law student Peace Aribisala has been awarded a scholarship on the prestigious
Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme.
Believed
to be the first time a student from a North East university has received the
scholarship, Peace will benefit from work experience, mentoring, and a
financial contribution towards course and associated study-related costs to assist in his career.
The
scholarship scheme was created in memory of Stephen Lawrence, a talented and
ambitious 18-year-old who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993 in London. Established
by international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2013 with support
from Doreen Lawrence, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE, it aims to address
the disproportionate under-representation in large commercial law firms and
other careers in the City of London of black men from less socially mobile
backgrounds, by creating access to opportunities.
Applicants
must be in their first year of study at a UK university and are evaluated using
non-traditional methods to innovatively assess talent and potential across a
wide variety of criteria, not just academic performance. Scholars in the scheme
participate in a 15-month development programme, which includes skills
workshops, interview coaching, networking, mentoring, support with job
applications and careers advice. They will also receive work shadowing and a guaranteed
interview for a training contract.
Students
get first-hand experience in problem solving within a high-pressure corporate
environment in the form of a project week. Overall, the scheme endeavours to
provide its scholars with the skills and confidence to thrive during their
studies and beyond.
Commenting
on his success Peace said: “The Freshfields Scholarship scheme has truly been a
life changing experience. It has opened my eyes to the vast world of
opportunities that are out there for me, which I had no idea existed, and is
helping me to set and achieve goals that I never thought possible. In addition,
I am continuously excited to take part in the scheme and work alongside the
great minds of the future to see what I can learn from them.”
Siobhan
McConnell, Senior Lecturer and Employability & Careers Coordinator at
Northumbria Law School, added: “The Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme
is a brilliant scheme and as a Law School we value greatly both our involvement
in it and everything it stands for. I’m thrilled for Peace – he is a very
talented student and an excellent ambassador for Northumbria. This is a wonderful
opportunity that will have a massive impact on him and his future career. I am
very much looking forward to seeing Peace’s progress.”
Further
details about the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship scheme and careers at Freshfields are
available on the Freshfields website.
