Publishing Training Centre Diversity Scholarship

Giselle Regus, MA Publishing 2008-9, was awarded a bursary from the Publishing Training Centre. This diversity scholarship is awarded to a black and minority ethnic student studying for a Master's Degree in Publishing.

Studying in England at Oxford Brookes University is like nothing I have experienced before. Previously I had gone to boarding school for my high school years, later on to Columbia University for a degree in sociology and then worked for three years after graduation in the finance industry. I imagined I had seen it all and was well prepared for my move ‘across the pond' and the journey of pursuing my master's degree in publishing. I wanted to come to Oxford Brookes because it seemed to me that the publishing programme is well rounded and that after graduation I would be in an advantageous position to find not only a good job but a fulfilling career path. What I found is that this experience is providing me with more than the knowledge I need to be successful.

I've been able to learn who Richard and Judy are and that a book club is not necessarily a group of people sitting around discussing Jane Austen. I've learned what an Oxford comma is, how to edit on screen, and how best to do a SWOT analysis; also that you always need some hidden time when working in production, and that in design white space is used to add sophistication. But what I was not prepared for were the intangible benefits of being at Oxford Brookes. For example, what I felt at the Frankfurt Book Fair when I mentioned where I went to school and everyone not only knew the programme but spoke of it with admiration. Another surprise was the enthusiasm with which my instructors teach their respective subjects - that sentiment is contagious and helped me feel more secure that I had made the right decision in choosing Oxford Brookes.

In great part I thank the Publishing Training Centre for facilitating this knowledge and these emotions. Having been the recipient of the Publishing Training Centre Diversity Scholarship has allowed me to focus less on how I would pay for all these great things and more on how to enjoy them and to gain as much as I can from them. It has been a relief knowing that I had the support to pursue this dream and take part in a programme that has been a perfect fit for me and overall one of the best experiences of my life.

More details about the scholarship can be found at the website of the Publishing Training Centre

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 28 Jan 2009 around 4pm

Filed Under #Publishing