Graeme Clark Scholarship in 2009

Rebecca French wins 2009 Graeme Clark Scholarship Award

At an awards ceremony in Nottingham this May, the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Brian Grocock presented university student Rebecca French with the €6,000 educational scholarship from the Cochlear™ UK Graeme Clark Scholarship Award. Rebecca, who is now 19 years old, was born profoundly deaf. She impressed the selectors with her spirit, determination, academic achievement and community service work.

Darren Ransley, General Manager of Cochlear™ UK says, “Cochlear UK is really delighted to have the opportunity through the Graham Clark Scholarship to help open up further educational opportunities for those with severe to profound hearing loss. Well done Rebecca on such achievements to date and I feel sure there are more to come!”

Rebecca is now studying Modern History and International Relations at St Andrew’s University and this scholarship will help with tuition fees. Her cochlear implant was fitted at the Nottingham Cochlear Implant Centre when she was three years old. A year after the implant Rebecca began to respond to sounds and by the age of eight she had recognisable speech.

Tracey Twomey is Head of Service at the Nottingham Cochlear Implant Centre – a centre with the largest paediatric implant programme in the UK. Having helped Rebecca as a young child, she’s says, “What Rebecca has achieved is amazing and should be celebrated. When she was implanted here in Nottingham as a profoundly deaf small child, we never knew she’d reach such academic and social success.”

The Graeme Clarke Scholarship is open to Nucleus® cochlear implant recipients around the world. It was set up to help implant recipients achieve more in continuing further education and is an annual award.

Rebecca says, “I feel amazed and humbled to be awarded the scholarship. I’ve always tried my best to take advantage of all the opportunities opened up to me by the implant and this award makes all my efforts and hard work worthwhile.”

Amanprit Johal - Winner of the Graeme Clark Scholarship 2008

Watch this inspiring video on how a cochlear implant has made a difference to her life. sgdfsg

Would you like to apply for the 2010 €6,000 education scholarship?

If you’re completing your final year of school and have been accepted onto a university or tertiary education course, if you’re a mature aged student, or a younger student undertaking a university degree or other tertiary education course then you can apply!

The Cochlear™ Graeme Clark Scholarship is open to Nucleus® recipients around the world. Scholarship winners are awarded financial assistance towards tertiary study at an accredited university, college or other institution of further education.

The deadline for applications this year is 25 September 2010.

To find out more information about the UK Scholarship Award for 2010 and how to apply, please contact: Kate King, Advocacy Specialist, email: kking@cochlear.com