"I owe so much to Imperial."

 One of our youngest donors, Letizia Pepe has supported the President’s Scholarship Fund since graduating in 2009.

My years at Imperial made me grow, both professionally and personally. I remember having lots of fun working late with friends on projects, trying to build things and get them working. I was a Hall Senior at Southwell Hall and have great memories of that time. It felt good to support new students who were experiencing difficulties. Often I had been there myself and could talk them through it.

One of my university friends received a scholarship, so I know how important they can be. He came from a less well-off family, and I knew how important the support of a scholarship was to him. He was one of the best in the year, and really flourished at Imperial, eventually graduating with top grades.

Imperial excels at science communication. I took a communication course that equipped me to present technical topics to people from non-technical backgrounds. That’s something I really struggled with at the beginning of my degree. Today I’m working in the technical department of a bank, and I see lots colleagues who didn’t have that kind of teaching at university struggling with the same thing.

When you recognise the value of an institution and its work, you want to help and encourage that, in any way that you can. Of course, giving to Imperial is a way of acknowledging that you feel proud of the College. But it’s also a way of giving others the chance to benefit from the great things that this university has to offer.

I feel that I personally owe so much to Imperial. I want other people to have the opportunities that I did, whatever their background. That’s why it feels nice to give back, and to support the Rector’s Scholarship Fund. I hope in time that I can contribute more.