For many students, the chance to take part in a Summer Course at an international university means far more than an academic experience. It’s a chance to discover new cultures, broaden horizons, build knowledge and skills, and start imagining new possibilities for the future.
With support from the Foundation, a number of scholars were able to take part in summer programmes during the 2026 school holidays at some of the world’s most highly regarded universities, exploring fields such as Data Science, Machine Learning, Architecture, Design, Psychology and Health Sciences.
Throughout these experiences, they encountered different teaching methods, and met professors and students from all over the world, while also getting a first-hand look at academic environments that could form part of their future paths.
Here are some of our scholars’ accounts of the experience:
Arthur Freitas — Columbia University
Arthur took part in the Data Science and Machine Learning II Summer Course at Columbia University in New York.
For him, the experience was enriching both academically and personally. As well as studying in an environment defined by academic excellence and innovation, Arthur had the chance to mix with students from different countries and get a close-up look at daily life at one of the most traditional universities in the United States.
One of the standout moments was developing and presenting his final Machine Learning project. Arthur built a model capable of estimating temperature and the probability of rain from historical weather data, drawing on data analysis, feature engineering and machine learning.
“Presenting this project to the professors and my classmates was a chance to show everything I’d learned during the programme, and to see first-hand how artificial intelligence can be used to solve real-world problems.”
The experience strengthened his interest in continuing to deepen his knowledge in the field, and showed, in practice, how academic learning can be applied to solving real-world problems.
Isabela Fuchs — Cambridge
Isabela took part in the Architecture and Design Summer Course in Cambridge, England.
Over two weeks, she worked on both an individual project and a group project, combining theoretical classes with hands-on activities. The programme also included tours around the city, allowing students to see how the concepts they were learning in the classroom played out in the real world.
Beyond the academic side, Isabela highlights the time spent with students from different countries and cultures, and how welcomed she felt throughout the programme.
“This experience gave me the chance to meet people from completely different countries and cultures, and to make some really special friendships.”
For her, the Summer Course was also a chance to get a better sense of international academic life and to reflect on her future.
“I feel like this experience was a good taste of what studying abroad would be like, and it gave me a sense of what studying architecture in the future might look like.”
Manoela Xisto — University of Oxford
Manoela’s experience was also shaped by the support we were able to offer throughout the whole process. Taking part in a Psychology Summer Course at Oxford, Manoela was the first person in her family to take part in a Summer Course abroad, so from choosing the programme and preparing for the trip through to her arrival, we made sure to guide her and her family every step of the way.
That support meant a great deal to her:
“The Foundation was absolutely essential throughout the whole process, always helping us and staying in touch with the Careers Guide, especially when it came to choosing the programme and getting ready for the course.”
Valentina Leal — HKUST
Valentina took part in the Pre-University Programme at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), on the Microbial Control in Health and the Environment course.
The programme combined theoretical and practical classes with a range of assessments, including an exam, a lab report and a group presentation. Beyond the academic experience, it gave Valentina a unique opportunity to explore Hong Kong and live alongside students from all over the world, including mainland China, the Philippines, Japan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, India and Russia.
Her interactions with these students, both through activities organised by the university and in everyday dormitory life, had a real impact on the way she sees the world.
“The exchanges and interactions I had with them […] changed the way I see the world, my own culture and the people around me, making me a more empathetic, curious and open-minded person.”
The experience also broadened her sense of what’s possible academically on the international stage. After getting to know HKUST, Valentina began to see Asian universities as part of her range of options for the future.
“I learned that there are many excellent universities in Asia that offer very good scholarships, which has really expanded my sense of the academic opportunities out there for my future.”
Far beyond the classroom
The experiences of Arthur, Isabela, Manoela and Valentina show us that a Summer Course can mean different things to different students: deepening academic knowledge, discovering new areas of interest, encountering other cultures, building independence, or even taking a first step into international university life.
More than just introducing our scholars to new universities, these programmes gave them the chance to broaden their horizons and imagine new paths for the future.
That’s the kind of impact we hope a scholarship can have: turning an academic opportunity into a life experience that stays with a student long after the course itself has ended.