Nawreen Monir Proma is a Commonwealth Scholar from Bangladesh, studying at UCL. She shares her experience of the ACU Summer School 2022, which was hosted by Leeds Trinity University in the UK.
I have been living in London since September 2021 whilst studying a master’s degree as a Commonwealth Scholar, but this was the first time I had been to Yorkshire.
I found out about ACU Summer School from the monthly newsletter from the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. I checked the ACU website, loved the variety of the programme and immediately decided to apply for it. When I got selected, I felt very happy and privileged.
Leeds Trinity University was a wonderful host throughout the time. The food was scrumptious and we had great en-suite accommodation. From the day I got selected, the team at LTU and the ACU took care of absolutely everything with with smiles and positivity. Our lovely hosts and student ambassadors made us feel like very important guests.
Everything was conducted as per the given seven-day Summer School schedule. We had lectures from the founders of the world’s great non-profit organisations, learnt about social awareness through cricket, enjoyed yoga and mindfulness sessions, hiked in nature and strolled around the cities of Leeds and York.
We worked together on a group project to create a sports organisation which we then presented, and we finished the week with a gala dinner. Everything was focused on how we can work to achieve the sustainable development goals through sport.
I immensely enjoyed doing the group project presentation with my team, "YOROKA". We were the winning team among six and received our prizes from Ed Anderson CBE, the Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.
This one week was the best week of my one-year stay at the UK. I am so glad I could apply and be selected for this amazing summer programme. The lessons I gained in one week gave me a lot of confidence, positivity, and blessed me with meaningful friendships with like-minded people.
I miss my friends every day. It was a short time to get to know each other, but I know that our friendships will last forever.