Rahini Mahendran from Sri Lanka, and Arham Riaz from Pakistan, arrived at the Luton campus ready to begin their studies on the MSc in Public Health, having both been awarded Commonwealth Scholarships.

Each year the University offers a limited number of places to Commonwealth Scholars who are from developing countries and have demonstrated an outstanding academic and personal profile.

The Scholarships are funded and supported by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC), which awards 900 scholarships and fellowships yearly to citizens of the Commonwealth.

The Scholarships are awarded to the University in recognition of the commitment of its Institute for Health Research (IHR) to provide a research-informed curriculum.

The students’ mentor, Prof Gurch Randhawa, said: “We’re pleased to welcome our new Scholars who will be making an important contribution to the MSc in Public Health and also to their own countries once they return home and apply what they will learn at Bedfordshire.”

As the new Scholars arrived, it was time say goodbye to last year’s Scholars, Syada Hoque, Peace Akanji and Nimra Khan, who will shortly be returning home to apply everything they have learned to their roles in their home countries.

Peace, from Nigeria, said: “I have developed a passion for promoting and protecting the health of the people and would educate people on health issues when I get to my country. At Bedfordshire, I enjoyed my time going on trips, volunteering and being involved with the Enactus Bedfordshire team.”

Syada, from Bangladesh, said: “I enjoyed my time in Bedfordshire as I have been able to travel around the UK and Europe to explore new places and make friends from different countries and cultures.

“I have increased my understanding about planning and implementing policies in health service. I can also manage participation, coordination, communication and strategies to facilitate institutional partnerships for sustainable health service at national and international level through innovative solutions.”