A year before she arrived in London, war had upended Elsy’s home country of Lebanon, adding to a country already reeling from one of the most devastating chemical explosions in recent history. Despite the instability around her, she held on to a clear ambition: to use education as a route to a different future. That determination paid off when she was offered a place to study a PhD in Environmental Policy at Imperial College London — a huge achievement, but one that came with a problem. Elsy had no way to fund her life in London, and with her family back home facing hardship of their own, financial support from home wasn’t an option.
“Despite growing up in a volatile place, I set my sights high and worked extremely hard, putting my faith in my education as a ticket to a different world.”
CPF’s contribution to Imperial’s Student Assistance Fund helped fund the scholarship that made Elsy’s move possible. It covered far more than tuition: it meant she could live in a safe part of London without worrying about rent, food or heating, freeing her to focus fully on her studies and to take up opportunities — including international conferences — that she said would shape her whole career.
At the time, Elsy was in the second year of research into decarbonising some of the highest-emitting sectors of the economy, with a particular focus on how governments could be encouraged to invest in carbon capture and storage to help limit global temperature rise. It was research she saw as part of a new era of climate solutions, and one she was determined to see through to real-world impact.
For CPF, her story is a clear example of what the foundation’s education pillar is designed to do: remove the financial barriers that stand between talented students and the opportunities they’ve earned.
“Because of you, devastation back home won’t determine my future.”
— Elsy, PhD in Environmental Policy, 2nd year