Eighth Norman Lloyd Scholar announced!

Martim Rodrigo (pictured below) has been selected as the eighth recipient of a Dr Norman C. Lloyd Scholarship at Cardiff University. Martim is in his first year at Cardiff on a MCheM degree course. The Norman Lloyd Scholarship is given to a new student in the Cardiff School of Chemistry who is of high academic standing and resident in Wales.

Martim was incredibly grateful to receive the scholarship and has sent us the following message of thanks.

"I am deeply honoured by this nomination. After learning more about Dr Norman C Lloyd, I became inspired by his success in life despite the early-life adversities. I faced many academic and personal adversities during secondary school. With resilience I was able to overcome these and thrive academically. I hope that with the scholarship, I will be able to not only focus more on my degree but also to continue sharing my passion for Chemistry with others.

I had the privilege to be taught by passionate individuals. They helped me close gaps in my understanding: a product of academic adversities. I overcame these adversities thanks to their dedication which included teaching me undergraduate-level Chemistry in their breaks. 

Their efforts in addition to my further reading led me to gaining two gold awards at the RSC Chemistry Olympiad. Furthermore, I was one of the top 36/7160 students in the United Kingdom that were invited to the IChO selection camp. There, I was exposed other undergraduate-level approaches and met like-minded individuals. 

My experience and success in the field compelled me to study Chemistry at university. 

I have four dreams: join the RSC Olympiad Committee, use my knowledge of Chemistry in a medical career, make my start-up (Reach) successful, and get involved in politics. 

I am passionate about languages and cultures. In my spare time, I enjoy gaming, socialising, travelling, tutoring, playing sports, and working on Reach. 

My vision is that Reach provides the best 16-18 education to the public. It is possible to create a profitable yet sustainable and ethical company that makes the best education widely available. Reach will help students to reach success, regardless of school or postcode."

We wish Martim every success at Cardiff and in his wider ambitions. We will watch his progress with keen interest! 

The scholarship

Our current link at Cardiff is Sarah Morgan-Davies in the Development & Alumni Relations department. She stated: 

"We are so grateful for your continued support and I do hope Cara’s report and Martim’s letter of thanks show the incredible difference that the Dr Norman C Lloyd scholarship is making to students here at Cardiff University."

The Norman Lloyd scholarship was set up by RSC Belgium in collaboration with Norman’s family and Cardiff University in memory of our old friend and supporter Norman Lloyd. Norman was himself a student at an institution that is now part of the university. The funds raised provide an annual scholarship of £1,000 for an undergraduate student, usually in their first year of study, at the Cardiff School of Chemistry.