Changing lives through the Catherine and Joyce Wood Scholarship
We are delighted to announce the creation of the Catherine and Joyce Wood Scholarship, founded by LSE alumna and volunteer mentor Alyssa Banner (MSc Industrial Relations). This new scholarship offers support to black and minority ethnic postgraduate students, honouring the lives of Alyssa’s grandmother, Catherine Wood, and mother, Joyce Wood. Both women deeply believed in the transformative power of education, instilling this belief in Alyssa from an early age.
I graduated from LSE in 2003 and went into management consulting in London. In 2022, I began mentoring LSE students and alumni. Through these amazing relationships, I found myself drawn right back into the heart of the school. It’s been so incredibly rewarding. LSE now means even more to me – and not just because of what it gave me – but because I’ve now seen firsthand how powerfully and positively it has impacted the lives of others as well.
Catherine Wood was born in 1914 in Harlem, New York, the daughter of immigrants from the French and British Caribbean. A gifted musician, she played piano, organ, and violin, and was as devoted to classical music as she was to jazz. Her love of learning and the arts shaped her family’s values - especially at a time when the intellect and contributions of Black women were often overlooked.
Catherine’s daughter, Joyce, was born in Manhattan in 1941. She, too, was a talented pianist who inherited her mother’s love of music and education. Despite being born partially sighted, Joyce defied the limits imposed upon her and went on to have a long and impactful career as a public-school teacher. For nearly three decades, she dedicated herself to giving students from underserved communities opportunities that she had to fight so hard to secure.
Catherine and Joyce lived through eras in American history marked by systemic discrimination and social exclusion, especially for Black women. And yet, they persevered with dignity, brilliance, and determination - placing education at the heart of their resilience and success. They raised Alyssa together, surrounding her with knowledge, culture, and love. Her earliest memories are of her mother and grandmother teaching her about the world, about music, about who she was and who she could become.
For me, there is no more fitting way to honour my mother and grandmother than through this scholarship. It allows their legacy to continue touching lives, just as they touched mine, and to help others realise the transformative power of education that Catherine and Joyce so strongly believed in.
This scholarship is a tribute to their unwavering belief in education as a force for equity and empowerment. It is designed to support Black and ethnic minority students who demonstrate academic excellence but require financial assistance to attend LSE. It carries forward Catherine and Joyce’s legacy - amplifying opportunity, celebrating intellect, and investing in futures that may otherwise go unfulfilled.
Their story is one of quiet courage and bold achievement. This scholarship stands as a testament to all they overcame, all they achieved, and all they held dear.
This scholarship will become available to students applying for programmes in the 2026/27 academic year. To find out more about graduate scholarships at LSE, visit our fees and funding page.
