University of Leicester graduate among six UK recipients of Guardian journalism bursary

A University of Leicester Journalism graduate has been awarded a prestigious Scott Trust Bursary from The Guardian Foundation, helping to fund the next stage of his journalism career.

Shakeer Sayani is one of only six recipients across the UK to receive the Scott Trust Bursary, which supports aspiring journalists from underrepresented backgrounds.

The bursary funds tuition fees for an MA in Journalism at a select university, provides support with living expenses and pairs recipients with a mentor. It also offers paid work placements at The Guardian during their studies and the opportunity to take part in a nine-month traineeship at the newspaper.

Shakeer is the first Journalism student from the University of Leicester to receive the Scott Trust Bursary.

Shakeer graduated from the University of Leicester’s BA Journalism degree in July and says he was first drawn to journalism by its potential to create positive change in communities.

He said: “I quite like the idea that journalism at its best can be a public service which helps make positive change in the world by informing people about their neighbours and communities. A big part of what I want to do in my journalism career is to be a voice and a champion for underrepresented communities who have been underserved by the media.”

Discussing what drew him to the University of Leicester, Shakeer said: “I was born in Northampton, which isn’t very far away, but since I was little I have been coming up to Leicester to see my aunt, so it is very much a second home to me.

 “A big part of coming to Leicester was learning in a very diverse community and environment. It was really nice to get into that community, see the issues it faced and hopefully report on them and make positive change.”

He added: “Studying journalism really opens your worldview because you have to understand so many different things. It gives you important transferable skills but also opens your perspectives to experiences and communities you may never have considered before.”

Shakeer applied for the Scott Trust Bursary during his final year of studies at the University of Leicester with the support of his lecturers. He said: “The Journalism staff were a big help throughout the whole process. They helped me prepare for interviews, understand how to present myself and gave me the confidence to put myself forward for the opportunity.”

Discussing his future ambitions, Shakeer said: “I really want to go into political journalism, particularly through the lens of how political decisions affect communities and people whose voices we do not hear from often enough in the news.”

Shakeer’s advice for aspiring journalists would be: “The most important thing is having passion for journalism and knowing why you want to do it. It can be disheartening at times, but if you have that passion and keep going, opportunities will come.”

“I am very grateful to our Journalism tutors. They are so encouraging and have such a passion for journalism that rubs off on the students. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that support.”

Tor Clark, Associate Professor in Journalism at the University of Leicester, who taught Shakeer over his four years studying his BA Journalism, said: “Shakeer has been an exceptional student and this is an exceptional achievement. But he deserves it and he has earned it through four years of hard work during his Journalism degree.

“Shakeer really enjoyed both his study of my Political Journalism module, in which he excelled, and also his individual scholarship for his dissertation on the place of independent journalism in the current UK journalism ecology, in which his innovative approach made his final work the joint best dissertation in the year.

“But overall Shakeer is an excellent example of getting the most out of the opportunities university offers. He had a year abroad, contributed to student journalism, worked for local independent journalism, did work placements and provided friendship and support to his fellow students. His Journalism lecturers are delighted but not surprised by his success. We wish him luck for the future and expect to be seeing his byline for years to come.”

More information about Journalism at the University of Leicester can be found here.