“With scholarships like this, people will be able to change the world”
From our founding through a single legacy bequest almost 130 years ago, a long-standing tradition of legacy gifts has continued to shape LSE’s community– and our impact on the world.
The Robert and Dilys Rawson Scholarship was established in 2010 thanks to the generous bequest left by former LSE lecturer Robert Rawson who joined LSE in 1945, and his wife Dilys, an academic at Queen Elizabeth College. The Scholarship supports students embarking on postgraduate study in LSE’s Department of Geography and Environment, either at master's or PhD level.
Master's student Ahnaf Ahmed is currently benefiting from the endowed scholarship. Keen to further his knowledge on urbanisation and how it affects development, particularly in the Global South, Ahnaf successfully applied to study on the MSc in Urbanisation and Development, beginning his studies in the Autumn term of 2023.
Ahnaf recently shared the special moment that he and his family learnt that he had been awarded the Scholarship and the impact that such support can have in unlocking opportunities for students from the Global South.
I could sense my family’s pride and excitement. I remember my father and my mother being very emotional. I think for a son to experience that, being thousands of miles away, I mean, that was a pretty special feeling. Without this scholarship, I would not be sitting here studying at this prestigious institution. So, when people do leave legacy gifts, I think it has a big impact on people like me who come from a not so privileged environment.
