Modern LanguagesStevenson Exchange Scholarships: French projects

Madeleine Andrews

BA Hons Humanities & Social Sciencees - received £1,000

Project: To set up a walking group linking partially sighted and able-bodied students at university.  To promote Scotland in France by talking about some of the better and the lesser-known Scottish walking trails as well as a variety of munro ascents. To highlight the wonder of Scotland’s incredible landscape and to write about the process, illustrating the excursions via a blog and an Instagram page which students will be able to follow in France and in Scotland.

“I had a fairly good experience of the selection process. I was nervous about the interviews, at Strathclyde and later with the Stevenson Scholarship jury. Although I found parts of the Stevenson Scholarship application form tricky, it was a real compliment for me to be recommended for this scholarship, and I'm very excited about the idea of carrying out the project. I also had a lot of support from my department in preparing for both interviews.

Finding a topic was fairly straightforward. I considered some of my interests and experiences. Thinking about which subjects already had links to both Scotland and France made it easier to find something that would allow me to promote Scotland in France and encourage friendly relations between the two countries.

Although I was nervous about both interviews, I felt they went better than I had expected. While I didn't have much advance information about the form of the jury interview, I prepared as best as I could. I felt that my visually-impaired-able-bodied walking idea met with interest, and I was delighted it was approved.”

Emma Barclay

MIBML International Business with a Modern Language - received £1,500

Project: To organise and hold Highland Dance classes for the students at university. To create social media content to increase the exposure of the project and further promote relations between Scotland and France. To execute a final showcase at the end of year.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have been selected as a recipient of the Stevenson Exchange Scholarship and awarded £1500. My project is centred around my experience with highland dancing, a sport which encapsulates several aspects of Scottish culture. I spent much of my childhood performing at Highland Games during the summer, and in doing so have observed the true appreciation of this Scottish art form in the eyes of tourists.

Prior to being nominated and involved in the process, I was not aware that the award existed and was honoured to be considered. The two-stage interview process was incredibly positive and provided me with an opportunity to showcase my French language skills. Those involved within both the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow made every effort to extract the utmost potential from my ideas.”

Alex Daunas

MIBML International Business with a Modern Language - received £1,400

Project:  To raise awareness of the Scottish cheese industry in France. To use social media and online platforms to build brand awareness and create a blog and Instagram page to showcase the cheeses and share information about their origins, ideal pairings, and more. To host a series of cheese-tasting events at university, where French students will have the opportunity to sample and learn about the Scottish cheeses and the regions in Scotland from which they come.

"Having just received the Stevenson scholarship, I can say the experience was extremely rewarding. The process is very smooth. I was made to feel very comfortable in both interviews and as a result was able to easily build on my ideas and express my points.

It was a little challenging to find a project that I thought was viable in the beginning but through the help given in the first interview.  I was able to discuss multiple options and ultimately pick my final project through their feedback. I prepared for the interview by making sure I had a good base knowledge of my project and the subject I was going to be talking about (in my case Scottish cheese). I also feel having a strong sense of the specific things you need funding for is also very important as well as having a clear plan of how you see yourself actually carrying out the project in France.

The scholarship is a great opportunity to represent Scotland in France and allows you to develop your knowledge of both cultures. I am really looking forward to my project and would highly recommend the experience to other students."