Having both grown up in rural Nepal, my parents had limited opportunities in school to achieve their full potential. Much of their day would be spent labouring on the family’s farm, leaving little time for study. In their early twenties they decided to leave the country, and everybody they knew, to pursue a better education for their children. I cannot imagine how immensely difficult it must have been for them to rebuild their lives in a completely foreign country.

When it came to the all important decision of choosing a secondary school as an 11-year-old, I remember having my heart set on LEH entirely. I also knew that, given my family’s background, the option of attending this school would be near impossible due to the financial burden it would place on us; that is, until I found out about the school’s bursary scheme. Throughout my school career, I have been very fortunate to be a recipient of this bursary, making it possible for me to study here.

I often think about how different my school experience has been to my parents’. Although they have suffered a lot of hardship for us to live a comfortable life, I hope that one day, I will have accomplished enough in my life to prove to them it was worth it all. The opportunities that I have been presented with at LEH have given me the confidence to take my aspirations way higher than they may have been if I had not studied here. It is immensely humbling to know that the Bursary Fund has played such a significant role in this, and for that reason I am eternally grateful for the generosity of all the donors to the scheme.

I hope that there will come a time when the Bursary Fund is sufficiently funded to overcome financial barriers and educate every girl deserving of a place at LEH, and so I sincerely urge all those who are in the position to do so, to donate and give more girls like me an opportunity that I have been so privileged to receive.