What were you doing before you came to Keele?

I was working for an environmental consultancy firm, conducting environmental impact assessments for new projects and also environmental audits for operational projects. I had also worked for the UN Food and Agricultural organisation attached to a climate change adaptation and resilience project in Karamoja region, North Eastern Uganda.

Why did you choose to study at Keele University?

Keele had the Master’s course of interest. My undergraduate background is in Environmental Science Technology and Management, and the opportunity to advance in that career path was appealing.

Keele has a good reputation for Environmental Sustainability studies.  Also one of the things that compelled me to apply to Keele was its record and reputation for student satisfaction and I was looking forward to experiencing that myself. I only applied to Keele because of the course match and I found Keele through an internet search.

How have your first few weeks been? What are your first impressions of Keele and being in the UK?

Keele has met my expectations.  The first time I stepped in Keele and breathed the air, it was wonderful. Keele is a green campus and I think it is one of the best in the UK. The serene environment is conducive for studies and given its location out of town, with no noise, it is the perfect place for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

I am enjoying everything, the studies, seminars, the whole teaching and engaging with lecturers. I enjoy being given the opportunity to participate and so you really feel you are part of the course. The academic resources you can access physically and online, resources can be accessed online in your room via the internet.

Keele has met my expectations and the course has too because I did my background search and I was very sure what I was going to study so you can’t ask for more. People are very helpful, everywhere you go, particularly the course director, Dr Sharon George, anytime you have a problem you can talk to them and they will reply quickly to emails. The way things run here is quite different to back home.

How do you feel the scholarship will make a difference for you?

The system of learning here gives a remarkable foundation for research, given the essays we write, I think I will be good at making research and writing reports.  I want to acquire as much knowledge as possible.  I hope having an international qualification will open the door to working in an international organisation, dealing with climate change and maybe make an impact internationally or across Africa or in Uganda specifically.  This was my dream, when I finished my undergraduate and got a first class, I had a dream of studying in the UK. My education will be like a benchmark for me if I am to do my PhD in the UK or elsewhere. This qualification will open up new avenues for the academic world, becoming a lecturer in Uganda or any other part of the world and I can also start my own environmental consultancy firm and start giving services back home.