Doctor Nicola Rollock
Nationality: United Kingdom
Year: 2003
Subject Area: Social Sciences
As someone who has always simultaneously balanced the demands of work and study, the Wingate scholarship gave me the invaluable opportunity to concentrate on my PhD on a full-time basis for the first time since registering four years earlier. Even with the scholarship, however, I couldn’t afford to live in London without working, so having considered my options I ended up taking a brief retreat to Paris. This gave me the much-needed space to focus on reading the seemingly endless books, reports and articles for my research and ultimately to write the first draft of my thesis. Nights were spent writing and days were spent either sleeping or reading drafts of chapters in nearby brasseries. In addition, I managed to revive my incredibly rusty schoolbook French, learnt how to select a decent slice of brie (its all in the smell!) and met some wonderful people, including an academic from the US with whom I am still in contact. I graduated, from the Institute of Education, in 2006 a year or so after returning from Paris. I have since written about my findings in The Guardian and had an article featured in the Evening Standard. I was also delighted that the Runnymede Trust, an independent and much-respected charity specialising in race equality, invited me to write about the Ph.D. for one of their Perspectives series of publications. I now continue to write for a range of audiences and to carry out research for government and non-government organisations in the areas of social justice and race equality. The Wingate scholarship was more than just financial support, it also spoke of a confidence that the trustees had in me and my work and it continues to be appreciated to this day.