Sarah Hewerdine reports on how the Chamber's Henry Samman Fund has helped her studies in America

Sarah pictured by the Google Campus in San Jose, California, which she visited as part of her trip.

The Chamber’s Henry Samman Endowment Fund offers grants to students to help them with their studies abroad. SARAH HEWERDINE was a recent beneficiary of a grant, and here she explains how the money has helped her.

WHEN I heard I was to receive a grant from the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce’s Henry Samman Fund, I was overwhelmed with excitement. It meant that I could get so much more out of my time in America. Below I have listed the five main opportunities I was able to take advantage of as a result of being awarded the grant.

1) The first use of my money was on my textbooks. I decided to purchase some university textbooks and they have proved not just valuable for university, but something I feel I will refer to later in life. One book I was assigned to read was Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’. It was an absolutely fantastic read; I’ve read it twice already and will most certainly be reading it again. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone. Without the funding, I would have only been able to afford to rent these books and would not have had the benefit of them for many years to come.

2) I was able to attend events with keynote speakers such as the Head of Global Marketing for Spotify, Steve Savoca. I found the talk very informative, as it covered both the current market place, and its future problems that Spotify envisage having to face. This event was made all the more enjoyable and relevant because Steve Savoca had also spent part of his degree study abroad, as I’m doing.

3) I had the opportunity to attend a speaker event which featured Jalen Rose, a former MBA Basketball player, who now works for ESPN. He shared with us his life story and how he transformed himself from a “broke Basketball player” to a Basketball champion and then a successful businessman. He focused on the need for students to take advantage of every opportunity given to them from their universities; leadership workshops, mentors and networking events. This event was of particular interest to me, as Jalen Rose dedicated a specific section of his talk to twenty-something year olds and enabling them to better their futures. This helped me understand the different ways in which people approach business and gave me an insight into Anglo-American business relations.

4) Another portion of the Henry Samman Fund grant allowed me to attend a business trip to New York to visit a wedding fair and meet the many different vendors. I met a variety of people, all from different backgrounds, who shared their stories with me and explained how they got to where they are now. I got a good idea of what goes into wedding planning and the costs involved which stem from the vendors. I was also able to look over numerous contracts which highlighted the importance of a keen attention to detail. I met with a catering manager and was able to discuss catering costs for a typical wedding of 100 people, including staffing costs.

5) As a result of studying wedding planning at my university in New Haven, I decided to arrange work experience with a business within this sector. In late May I undertook work experience with a bridal jewellery company in San Francisco, California. Here I carried out many admin tasks as well as making the jewellery, packaging and dispatching the products. I found the process of delivery very interesting in a small business as these are tasks carried out in a large business; however I was able to see it on a smaller scale. The money helped me to pay for accommodation in San Francisco and contributed to my transport expenses over there. While in San Francisco I also visited San Jose, where the Google campus is and was able to tour the campus and learn about the business.

I can’t thank the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce enough for awarding me the grant as I would never have been able to travel over to California and participate in the work experience.

I have had a truly amazing experience while in America and I can’t wait to see what else the coming months hold for me. I would like to thank the Trustees of the Henry Samman Fund for the grant and say how appreciative I am of being chosen. I do hope you like hearing about how useful the money was for me in gaining extra-curricular experience and knowledge.

Sarah pictured in New York, with Central Park in the background.