Abigail Butler
BA (Hons) English Language
It allowed me to network with numerous people from all over the world and I am grateful it has opened so many doors for me.
What inspired you to study your particular course?
Languages as a whole has always fascinated me and I thought studying the language I naturally use would be beneficial to how I utilise it in the future.
Why did you apply for the Student Opportunity Fund?
The scale of the event I attended has allowed me to seriously consider ways to use my degree and experience in possible job roles further on in life.
What was the application process like? Did you receive any support to help you with your application?
The application process was relatively easy. I had seen it advertised around the campus before and my academic tutors suggested I apply. If I had any questions I was able to quickly resolve them with support from the team.
What did you do with the Student Opportunity Fund funding?
The funding allowed me to travel down to the University of Oxford for the World Literacy Summit – the biggest literacy conference in the world to discuss a pilot study I am hoping to start. The pilot would be trialling global pen pals through primary schools. It would crossmatch students from English speaking schools with students from schools where English is not spoken as a first language. It would be overseen by members of the school community and caregivers at home. This would aim to help develop language education and development in the UK on an educational level and on a cultural level.
What was the World Literacy Summit like?
It was a valuable learning experience as I was able to explore a variety of studies, lectures, and seminars from literacy leaders from all around the world. It was great to interact with people working in the literacy field and engage with them. It allowed me to network with numerous people from all over the world and I am grateful it has opened so many doors for me.
What are you hoping to do next?
After my assignments, I’m hoping to network with the people I met at the World Literacy Summit and with schools around the UK to help gain traction for the pilot study. There are a number of opportunities for me to complete humanitarian work, and get involved with companies and charities that can make a difference on a wider scale.