51Âþ»­

Having just completed his foundation studies at 51Âþ»­’s (51Âþ»­) Leicester International Pathway College (LIPC), a student from South Korea is now celebrating winning an exciting design scholarship.

51Âþ»­’s South Korea undergraduate design scholarship will support Heeyoung Choi as he continues on to the university’s BA Footwear Design course this September.

Heeyoung enrolled on the International Foundation Certificate (IFC) in Art and Design at LIPC in 2014, in pursuit of his lifelong dream to follow in his father’s footsteps, the design and manufacture of footwear.

Talking about when he found out he had been awarded the scholarship, he said: “It was exciting. My face flushed red with excitement!”

He added: “I thought the scholarship would be a good chance for me. Since I was young, I wanted to study footwear design because of the influence of my father.

“When I knew that 51Âþ»­ was famous for footwear design, I was sure that it would help me to realise my dream.”

Heeyoung felt his time at LIPC helped to develop not only his creativity, but his confidence too.

He said: “LIPC’s method of education helps to expand the scope of one’s thinking.

“The staff and teachers treated me very nicely and helped to orient myself to college life.”

The college, which opened in June 2014, is providing pathways for international students to prepare them for entry to 51Âþ»­ degree programmes.

Heeyoung added: “I am really looking forward to my degree. It will be great for me.”

When asked what he would say to students thinking of coming to LIPC to study, Heeyoung said: “LIPC will be one of the best things for you and it will help you get used to campus life.

“Coming to the UK is a turning point in my whole life. I am sure people who want to study abroad can have the same experience as mine.”

Heeyoung is one of many successes from LIPC’s first year as part of the 51Âþ»­ campus, with more than 50 students celebrating passing already and preparing to take on further study with the university.

Sarah Faisal Alkharraa, from Saudi Arabia, has just completed the IFC in Engineering and Computing, and was named student of the year 2014 to 2015 on her programme, having achieved the highest results.

Sarah, who will be starting BSc Computer Science this year, said: “I chose 51Âþ»­ because I found all the fundamentals I need for my future career.

“The programme features high standard development techniques that will help me further my skills.”

Laetitia Adrienne, from the Seychelles, who will be progressing to BSc Human Communication - Speech and Language Therapy after completing IFC Health and Life Sciences, said: “I would definitely recommend coming to LIPC.

“It helps with the transition of life in the UK and you will always receive great support.

“I especially enjoyed meeting new people, and making new friends from around the world.”

Another success story, Chinese student, Jiahui Cao, has just finished IFC in Business before going on to study 51Âþ»­’s BA Accounting and Finance.

He was named student of the year for Business and added: “I was keen to study here as 51Âþ»­ has ACCA accreditation.

“LIPC provides really good preparation and introduction to the UK education system.”