Meet our Fellows

Roanna: 2019

Music and Music Psychology Undergraduate, University of Leeds

My Fellowship award helped fund my participation in the Study China Programme which offers students a unique educational opportunity to experience Chinese life, culture, language and business. 

I had an incredible experience studying for 3 weeks at Beijing Normal University where I made some fantastic new friends, developed confidence in my ability to travel alone and experienced a completely new culture and language! I learned Mandarin, 书法 (Chinese calligraphy), 太极 (tai chi) and 剪纸 (Chinese paper cutting).  I particularly enjoyed spending the day with a local family and visiting a music shop where I bought a traditional Chinese flute! My visits to 故宫 (The Forbidden City), 萬里長城 (Great Wall of China) and  京剧 (the Peking Opera) were definitely highlights of the trip that I won't forget.

Seb: 2023

A Level Student, Kenilworth

I put my Fellowship award towards a two-week Cultural Immersion and Language Development Internship in China. I secured an unpaid internship at a financial insurance company in China and stayed with a friend in Beijing minimising my costs and providing me with an opportunity to develop my conversational Chinese in a fully immersive environment in a way that language lessons in the UK cannot.

The internship was an incredible learning experience, and this trip has allowed me to combine my love for language learning with my interest in economics and Chinese culture. I have gained a greater fluency in the Chinese language, a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, made new friends in China, and gained valuable insights into their professional world. I am going on to study politics, philosophy, and economics at university but plan to continue my Chinese language development alongside my university studies. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Westham House Fund has provided me and encourage anyone considering applying for the funding to do so.