‘A life-changing opportunity’ – What it’s like to work with a Formula 1 team as an F1 Engineering Scholar

‘It’s important to show that the engineering community is not just for a specific sort of person’

Sean believes that providing opportunities like the scholarship is crucial in ensuring that everybody is made to feel welcome in the industry.

“I think it is very important to offer these kinds of opportunities to underrepresented groups, because of the historical precedent that has occurred leading to underrepresentation of certain people within the engineering community,” he explains.

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“I have friends who’ve also had internships and placements at other places, and there isn’t that much diversity in many companies. So I think it’s really important to show that we want to support those who are from underrepresented backgrounds, and show that the engineering community, or whichever community, is not just for a specific sort of person – anybody can become an engineer if that’s what they want to put their mind to.

“For me personally, the scholarship has been amazing for that, and also [having my] tuition fees [covered], that’s just a great help for me in general. It manages to decrease my burden – I don’t really have to think about how I’m going to focus on surviving in the future, or just earning enough money to cover my rent, for example.

“I don’t have to focus on those small details in the now – I can build longer-term plans, I can spend that energy thinking about which placements I’d like to do, who I’d like to work with or focusing on my degree, so it’s a very big help.”