Mariam Shahid and Zain Khan are the first ever Leeds Beckett University students to receive the Halifax Law Society Scholarship, worth £1,500 each.
The initiative was set up to support Leeds Beckett students from Calderdale who have excelled in their entry qualifications but might not have the means to support themselves financially through university.
Khan (pictured, left), a first-year law student from Halifax, said: “Being awarded the scholarship from the Halifax Law Society makes me feel proud of my town and where I come from, and the financial support that this scholarship offers encourages me to strive to achieve my potential.”
Fellow recipient and first-year student Shahid (pictured, right), who is also from Halifax, added: “It was really heartening to someone like me that the Halifax Law Society were taking the time and effort to support others.”
“The scholarship will be a massive help to me in my time at Leeds Beckett. As a commuting student it will help me with my travel costs from Halifax to Leeds each day and will help me to make the most of my studies with additional resources and law textbooks.”
The scholarship is a new partnership between Leeds Beckett, Halifax Law Society and the Community Foundation for Calderdale.
Two scholarships of £1,500 will be offered each academic year, which will benefit 20 Leeds Beckett law students over the next 10 years.
Deveral Capps, dean of Leeds Law School, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Halifax Law Society who are supporting this scholarship. A legal education leads on to a wide range of career paths and provides improved opportunities.”
“This scholarship will support less privileged students studying with us. The Halifax Law Society Scholarship continues our engagement with the wider legal community to improve the educational experience for our students including our Leeds Law School Law Clinic and our student mentoring scheme.”
The Community Foundation for Calderdale, which supports hundreds of charities and voluntary groups across Calderdale, helped to facilitate the partnership.
Steve Duncan, DL, chief executive officer at the Community Foundation for Calderdale, said: “The Community Foundation for Calderdale are delighted to be working in partnership with the Halifax Law Society and Leeds Beckett to provide a sustainable joint scholarship to support young people into a career in legal profession in Calderdale.”
Heather Nuttall, solicitor at Wilkinson Woodward Solicitors and treasurer at the Halifax Law Society, said: “The partnership with the Community Foundation for Calderdale and Leeds Beckett University has provided an ideal opportunity for the Halifax Law Society to support aspiring lawyers in Calderdale with their academic studies and we are proud to be part of this initiative.”
