Scholars

Sam graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge top of his cohort with First Class Honours with Distinction in History. He was heavily involved in college life, serving as president of the politics society and as social secretary of the football team. He also played leading roles in two plays at Cambridge and took Arabic classes alongside his degree.

Sam has found adjusting to the rhythms of academic life at McIntire to be challenging yet rewarding experience. He hopes the course will furnish him with an invaluable practical skillset that will help differentiate him as he enters a career in the law. Outside of the classroom he has enjoyed immersing himself in UVA’s thriving student culture as well as exploring the spectacular countryside around Charlottesville.

Aryan Pandya, graduated from McIntire in May 2024 with a double major in Economics and Commerce and a concentration in finance. In his year at Trinity College, Cambridge, he is looking forward to enjoying many new experiences, especially to meeting a diverse array of people, trying new things and studying under a new pedagogical style in a world renowned faculty.

It has been very fulfilling to be part of such an engaged community. Trinity’s students are deeply passionate about their own area of expertise and research, but love nothing more than to ask insightful questions of others which facilitates an exchange of ideas and excitement for academia that is both stimulating and motivating. It was a privilege to join a group of such committed learners, both inside and outside the classroom.

It is these experiences and friendships, as well as the European travel opportunities and newfound love of British traditions, that will carry me forward into my job in consulting and continue a personal drive to build an international network of friends and coworkers. The generosity of the studentship allowed a level of personal and cultural exploration beyond my dissertation research and supervisions that would never have been possible otherwise, from visits to hear choral concerts in all 31 Cambridge Colleges to neoclassical art history lessons at the V&A in London to research in Rome. I am extraordinarily grateful to the Anton E B Schefer Foundation for supporting the greatest year of my academic work and personal life thus far.

Feeling myself grow in confidence and skill and adopt additional lenses through which to understand the world, has been an amazing privilege that is core to McIntire’s – and the Lenox-Conynghams’ – ethos. I aspire never to lose the rate of personal growth that McIntire inspires in its students and the Lenox-Conynghams encourage in their scholars.

"From my first days at Cambridge, I was surrounded by an incredible array of people from all corners of the world. Whether it was my peers in the development studies program, my neighbors in Angel Court at Trinity, or teammates from the university lacrosse team, the friendships and connections I made were truly unmatched. These relationships will last a lifetime and have given me an international network that I wouldn’t have without my time there. Also Trinity College offered a uniquely unforgettable experience. Its beauty, history, and sense of community left a lasting impression on me. From the countless evensongs in the chapel to formals in the stunning hall, and peaceful mornings in Great Court, these moments were truly special.

My time at Trinity also made me more intentional about how I approach life and learning. Seeing the passion my peers had for their fields was both inspiring and infectious, and it deepened my intellectual curiosity in ways I hadn’t expected. I look back on my time at Cambridge as one of the most transformative experiences of my life, and it has continued to shape my journey, leading me to continue my studie in Switzerland and pushing me to pursue new opportunities with confidence and an open mind.

"Beatrice graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge with a Senior Academic Scholarship and First Class Honours in Land Economy (Economics, Law & Environment). She was very engaged in college life and served on the Trinity College Students’ Union, organising events, representing student interests and managing the committee’s finances. She was Captain of the Women’s Judo team and led the Varsity team to victory in the annual match against Oxford.

Her first few months at McIntire are already proving to be a fascinating experience, she is finding the MS in Commerce programme’s applied, collaborative nature and focus on real-world application of concepts very rewarding, and she is particularly enjoying UVA’s friendly and tight-knit community. The highlights so far have included (American) football matches, watching the sun set over Charlottesville at the Carter’s Mountain cidery, and celebrating “Halloweekend” in the true American style. After her year in the US, she will be joining Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May as a trainee solicitor."

"When I reflect on my time at Trinity, I begin by saying something to the effect that 'It was like living in a dream.' One of the things that amazed me the most about Trinity, besides its obvious and superlative charm, was the friendliness and kindness of its students. The postgraduate community, despite or possibly because of its intellectual and cultural diversity, became a remarkably tight-knit group. I went to England with two small suitcases and a tiny list of academic goals. I left with lifelong friends and as a more confident, curious, experienced, open, and sociable person.

Everything the Lenox-Conyngham Scholarship promised to be—a transatlantic cultural exchange, grounds for honing leadership skills, an opportunity to become a well-rounded citizen, and a family of friends and mentors—I experienced in surplus."

"My year at UVA has been both eye-opening and rewarding. Coming from a humanities background, it took a change of gear to acquire the more quantitative skills of the course - particularly the more in-depth and specialized elements of the second semester. McIntire's group-based working environment equally brought out a more people-oriented working style than I had developed at Trinity. Culturally, it was a privilege to get to know a very different university atmosphere - one with a vibrant and loyal sports culture, prevalent Greek life, and a wealth of student bands to name just a few.

Above all, I am grateful for the people that made my time so enjoyable. Whether that be those with whom I shared an apartment, the friends I enjoyed Thanksgiving celebrations with or those who travelled with me from Denver to New Orleans, as well as the administrative and teaching staff at McIntire, I feel lucky to have experienced so many different sides to the America. All of this, I owe to the Lenox-Conyngham scholarship."

"The ability to hear from and debate with Cambridge professors in weekly lectures and small discussion groups was an incredible experience. Not only are many leading academics in their respective field, but they also serve as advisers to both public and private sector organisations. As a result, their lectures were complimented with deep insights from individual experiences dealing with current events in the global and development sectors."

"Outside of the classroom the most significant aspect of my Cambridge experience was meeting and conversing with a hugely diverse array of people from around the world, most of whom were pursuing masters and PhD degrees in different subjects."

"My experience, which was made possible through the Lenox-Conyngham Scholarship, has been truly fantastic.

The benefits are numerous, however the main one was the chance to broaden my education horizons and to experience both a rigorous, focused and predominantly solo style of education at Trinity and a more practical, broader and group-work focused one at McIntire.

The scholarship has also provided plenty of travel opportunities which will be hugely beneficial in terms of my own personal development as a young working professional in the global marketplace."

"The Lenox-Conyngham Scholarship provided an unparalleled experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

My coursework, research and supervisions shaped my academic experience at Cambridge and provided me with a unique skills set to succeed in the workplace.

Beyond academics, this scholarship provided the opportunity to make global, lifelong friendships and explore new places."

“During my first weeks at Cambridge, I got to know people from nearly every continent. Much of my life has been spent in reasonably homogeneous communities, and I relished this opportunity to talk to people who have had such starkly different experiences. Its cool to know that I will be staying in touch with people from all over the world, giving me an international network that wouldn’t have been possible without studying there.

It led me to focus on being more intentional in how I lead my life. Seeing others’ passion for their chosen fields was remarkable and infectious and made me think of intellectual curiosity in a whole new light.”

"The Lenox-Conyngham Scholarship was my first extended visit to the US; not only that, it was my first taste of certain disciplines – finance and analytics – and certain styles of work, with a strong focus on group-based coursework and presentations.

I look back very fondly on my year in Charlottesville, probably the happiest of my life, and keep in touch with friends from UVA. Finally, it is thanks to this program that I found a job in consulting that I very much enjoy, which has taken me from Dublin to Arkansas, and a home in DC, where I’m very involved in my local office and parish."

"The scholarship offers a fantastic opportunity for cultural diffusion between the US and the UK. I have now experienced the classic American university experience at Virginia and the traditional British experience at Trinity.

From the beginning I learned that the unstructured nature of graduate life at Cambridge would mean more freedom and flexibility but more personal accountability. In the US, group work, class participation and constant grading pushed students to stay on top of their studies. In the UK the responsibility fell on me to make the most of my MPhil.

Some of my favourite aspects of Trinity were to do with the tradition of the place. Although Virginia is proud of its Jefferson tradition and rightly so, nothing in America can compare to Cambridge or Trinity’s history. Walking the same paths as Newton, Byron, Rutherford..all in a place created by Henry VIII is inspiring.

I have had a transformative year at Trinity College, Cambridge. I am forever grateful to the Anton E.B. Schefer Foundation."

"Living at Trinity with a view of the Great Gate out of my window was a unique experience that I will always remember. During my time at Trinity I met people and made friends that I will treasure forever. The opportunity to interact with people from all areas of study at meals and formal dinners was particularly welcome.

I have decided to pursue Medicine and I wouldn’t have followed this path without meeting a mentor at Cambridge who showed that is was possible to combine my medical and entrepreneurial interests successfully"