Being awarded a PTC Diversity Scholarship 2009/10 was a great boon. It provided me with the financial assistance I needed to take on the City MA in Publishing Studies, and to dedicate time to my studies and work experience. Not only was it a financial aid, but it also provided a much-needed boost to my confidence as I was taking a step into a new field of study. It has shown me that with the right amount of hard work and dedication, I can achieve things I never dreamt of being capable of before. I would encourage all those who are thinking of applying for the Matthew Hodder Trust Scholarship, or alternative forms of application-based funding, but who don't believe they have it in them, to set themselves the challenge of applying. They could surprise themselves, or at the very least, learn something about their writing ability that they didn't know before. I would like to thank John Whitley and the Publishing Training Centre for awarding me this scholarship. I have relished every minute of the City MA, and have gone on to gain a job that I Iove, none of which would have been possible without their generous support.