Three brilliant students awarded scholarships

Three international students on stage receiving awards

Study Group is committed to providing ever greater access to global higher education for bright young people with outstanding ideas. So we are delighted to announce the winners of our first Next Generation Innovations international student competition.

Next Generation Innovations, Study Group’s inaugural international student competition, aims to provide opportunities for exceptional students to secure scholarships for their higher education in the UK.

Students were invited to create a 5,000-word project proposal showcasing how they plan to use their higher education to make a difference in the world. The projects received spanned topics from engineering to health sciences and business.

The winning project, DivorceDialogue, by Stephanie Jane Magtibang, from the Philippines captivated the judges with its innovative fusion of business and advocacy to benefit her local community. “It’s a dream come true!” she told us. “I went into this competition hoping to share my ideas on an international platform, and am excited to have won. I can’t wait to use this scholarship to further my studies at the University of Sheffield. I’m so grateful that applying through Study Group has given me access this scholarship to help me study in the UK.”

With her scholarship, Stephanie will be attending her International Foundation Year at Study Group’s University of Sheffield International College this September, before progressing to her first year studying Law at the University of Sheffield in 2025.

Also honoured at the award ceremony, held in in Kuala Lumpur, were Crescia San Angel, second place winner, from the Philippines, and Vanessa Shannon Suryandi, third place winner, from Indonesia.

The runner-up project, Superheroes Need Saving Too: Innovative Dual-Chip Tracker and a Cross-Border Protection System for Overseas Workers, creatively merged modern engineering with advocacy for the protection of overseas foreign workers. Crescia will be entering her International Foundation Year in November, at Study Group’s Durham University International Study Centre, to progress towards her first year in International Relations at Durham University in 2025.

Vanessa’s project, Pangéstu, aims to inspire wellness with an innovative approach towards revitalising ethical wellness tourism in Indonesia. Vanessa will be entering her International Foundation Year at Study Group’s University of Sheffield International College in September, to progress towards her first year studying Business at the University of Sheffield next year.

The Next Generation Innovations competition, the first of its kind hosted by Study Group, will increase students’ access to top-notch academic opportunities internationally. The panel of judges, which included professors and industry experts, selected the eight finalists who were invited on a sponsored trip to Malaysia for the finals event. Here, the finalists pitched their ideas in a 15-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session.

Panel member Professor Elena Rodriguez-Falcón, Chief Academic Officer of Study Group said, “We are thrilled with the outcome of this year's competition. It is inspiring to witness the creativity and passion of these young minds. At Study Group we are committed to ensuring that students around the world have increasing opportunities to access global higher education with our renowned partner universities".

Following the success of Next Generation Innovations, Study Group will be hosting the competition annually as part of our mission to create more opportunities for students to achieve their academic goals.

Our photo shows: [From left to right] The three winners of the Next Generation Innovations - Crescia San Angel, 2nd place winner (from the Philippines); Vanessa Shannon Suryandi, 3rd place winner (from Indonesia); and Stephanie Jane Magtibang, 1st place winner (from the Philippines)