Graduate Jesse aiming high with Sir Tom’s uni scholarship award
A Sunderland man is taking his first steps into the international business arena thanks to the legacy of a Wearside entrepreneur and education champion.
Jesse Thompson graduated from the University of Sunderland in 2019 with a degree in Business and Financial Management – with the final year of his studies helped by a £10,000 Sir Tom Cowie Scholarship Award.
The Sir Tom Cowie Scholarship – set up in the name of the former garage boss and Sunderland AFC chairman – is now in its ninth year and awarded to students from the Sunderland area who have demonstrated an excellent academic record.
Jesse, 25, now works as a talent acquisition specialist at EPAMSystems-amulti-billion dollar US company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of custom software.
Sir Tom, who died in 2012, aged 89, was a long-term supporteroftheuniversityandbelievedpassionatelyinaffording thosewithtalent,regardlessof background, the opportunity to enter higher education.
As part of his legacy, the Sir Tom Cowie Excellence Scholarship Awards were set up to support students to achieve their full potential.
Jesse, from Sunderland, said: “The Tom Cowie Award helped me exceed expectations and thrive. I was able to take leave from my employer at the time, which allowed me
to fully dedicate my attention to my final year studies.”
In his job, Jesse headhunts
talent for strategic European locations for EPAM Systems and is also responsible for managing senior stakeholders across a number of commercial practices.
He added: “The Tom Cowie Award made a massive difference to me. Even the interview process helped because that was my first experience of a business-style interview and prepared me for prospective employers.
“The award really allowed me to stand out in a highly competitive graduate market and demonstrate my abilities and work ethic.”
Every year the University of Sunderland also offers tens of thousands of pounds worth of funding to current students, to help improve their studies, professional practice and employability.
The Development Office Scholarship Scheme – DOSH – offers students studying at Sunderland non-means test, non-repayable scholarships from £250 to £10,000.