Student from Prienai Recognised for Outstanding Academic Achievement

A student from Prienai, Lithuania, is celebrating after overcoming the language barrier to achieve an Academic Scholarship Award in his university studies in the UK.

Kristijonas Raibužis, now in the second year of his Biology degree at the University of Worcester, was recognised his outstanding grades in the 2021/2022 academic year. This was despite never having studied this subject in English before.

“I am extremely happy to achieve this award,” said the 20-year-old. “I spent my money on Harvard medical school summer courses in immunology to expand my knowledge in the field that I am most interested in. I have finished this course and I feel really happy that I got this support from the University.”

The University awards a small number of £1,000 scholarships each year to those students achieving the highest grades in either year one or two of their studies, as well as several individual prizes.

Kristijonas said his time at Worcester so far had been “amazing”. “The staff, the people, the students were all extremely friendly and helpful. I was a bit afraid of how I would fit in as an international student, however, I felt at home immediately. The course that I study gives me a lot of happiness and I am interested in almost everything that I have to learn and study.

“I believe that one of my biggest achievement is the language barrier I that I had to overcome. Before coming to University I had never studied biology or chemistry in English, thus I was a bit afraid that I will be behind my course mates. I feel really happy that I did not struggle with this barrier.”

The former Prienai “Žiburys” gymnasium pupil chose Worcester after visiting a study fair several years before where he found out about the University and maintained contact. “All my life I wanted to study in the United Kingdom as I always believed that this country had an amazing university culture,” he added. “So I was really happy to know that I would be able to study in UK even after Brexit.”

University of Worcester Pro Vice Chancellor (Students), Dr Tim Jones, said: “We are very proud of all our students who earned an Academic Scholarship or prize this year. These students achieved highly in their studies and their dedication and commitment shines through. We hope this award will inspire them to pursue further academic success. 

“The scholarships and prizes are supported by generous philanthropists, including the University’s distinguished Honorary Fellows, local employers, and many successful graduates of the University, and we are very grateful to all our benefactors, whose generosity makes such a difference to our students.”