Generous gift funds new Engineering scholarship for student with a disability

The Faculty of Engineering will offer a new scholarship to a student with a disability in 2022.

The John and Rita Henke Scholarship will award one student £12,500 a year for four years to undertake a course within the Faculty of Engineering. The scholarship is open to any student resident in the UK who has a disability and demonstrates exceptional academic potential and financial need.

Students who study in the Faculty of Engineering access their learning in a number of different ways including group work, tutorials, coursework, lectures, practical classes and independent study often leading to a final year project or dissertation. A student with a recognised disability may have significant issues accessing some of those learning styles. Combined with financial hardship this can influence how a student approaches their studies.

Dr Lorraine Craig, Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching, said: ‘John and Rita Henke’s scholarship has the potential to make a significant difference for a student studying in the Faculty of Engineering. I can think of several students who managed their disability throughout their degree studies, to who this scholarship would have made a major impact on their student experience. A scholarship helps students achieve their potential without the ongoing concern about having enough funding to support them.’

Maureen O’Brien, Head of Imperial's Disability Advisory Service, said: ‘John and Rita Henke’s scholarship is a very generous and welcome gift. It will make a significant positive contribution to a disabled student studying in the Faculty of Engineering. Disabled students typically have to work much harder than their non-disabled peers and encounter significant expense related to their disability or impairment. This scholarship, which will provide an educational opportunity with no financial burden, should offer a springboard to career and lifetime opportunities’. 

Find out more about scholarships at Imperial using our Scholarships search tool.