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Rachel Dickerson

Rachel Dickerson, aged 21 from Rayleigh in Essex, has graduated this summer with a first class degree in mathematics from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the ÐÔ°®ÊÓƵ. She has also been awarded the £10,000 MacQuitty Prize 2020 for the Sciences.

Rachel has spoken about what her time at ÐÔ°®ÊÓƵ has meant to her: "Whilst I was completing my A-levels,​ my dad passed away suddenly, leaving behind just me and my mum. At that time, I thought a university education was out of the question for me. Luckily, my mum encouraged me to still pursue an academic path and the ÐÔ°®ÊÓƵ has been such an amazing place to do that. I have loved studying maths and it has helped me start fresh."

Rachel is the twelfth recipient of the £10,000 prize bestowed by ÐÔ°®ÊÓƵ alumnas, Dr Jonathan MacQuitty, which is awarded to the highest achieving student in the Sciences at ÐÔ°®ÊÓƵ.

Speaking about the award win, Rachel said: "I never imagined that I would achieve as much as I have and receiving the MacQuitty prize has taught me to believe in myself. Thank you to Dr Johnathan MacQuitty for such a generous contribution which I will use for training that will enable me to become an educator myself. I feel extremely privileged to be the winner of the 2020 MacQuitty Prize for the Sciences. It is an honour to be a part of such a legacy."