What are you doing now and what has happened since the award?

I am working on adopting artificial intelligent techniques in economic modelling and I am also working as an academic visitor at the Bank of England on a project of similar topic.

Since the award, I continued my studies and was awarded a distinction for my MSc degree at Warwick University. I then took a year off from the academic route and worked at the UNESCO headquarters. I also spent around 6 months with my family and friends, that I had been away from for many years during my study.

Has receiving an award for your hard work helped?

I came across the award from a promotional email sent within Durham University. I was working on my dissertation at that time and thought I’d give it a go.

Receiving the award came as a pleasant surprise, and it showed that the hard work I put in during my undergraduate study paid off. It significantly boosted my confidence in research and academic writing considering English is not my native language. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Global Summit and shaking hands with the president of Ireland.

How was your experience as an undergraduate student?

It was a struggle not in terms of the academic content but mainly due to the language and cultural barrier. Luckily I was surrounded by some great friends and teachers who helped me learn and grow.

What are your plans for the future?

Well, I prefer living in the moment. So first step, enjoy and finish the PhD 🙂 A big plus of a PhD life is taking control of your time since you are no longer bounded by the 9 to 5 work schedule.

I love this advice given by one of my supervisors. To paraphrase, life is like a random draw of events, and you never really know what’s in store for you, so all you can do is keep trying whatever your goal is.