First-year physics and theoretical astrophysics student

For this first-year physics and theoretical astrophysics student, balancing a passion for space with a commitment to weightlifting has been a lifelong challenge.

They share how the Alumni Scholarship Award has helped ease financial burdens, giving them the freedom to focus on their studies and training while also reflecting on their unique journey of balancing academic interests with athletic ambitions.

What brought you to the university? 

“I was born in Iran and moved to the UK when I was six. At first, I lived in London for one year, and after that, I moved with my parents to Newcastle, where I started Year 3. Both my parents are disabled and did not go to university.

“After six months in Year 3, I was able to give a conference on electricity, which earned my primary school an award from the mayor. From around Year 4, my parents were persistent that I start a sport, so they took me to a variety such as judo, gymnastics, wrestling, kickboxing and weightlifting. I have been doing weightlifting for nine years now and have managed to collect many accolades, such as becoming the British and English champion and getting into Team GB for the u17 squad. I am now one of the top prospects in Britain and I hope to one day go to the Olympics.

“My time at school went quite smoothly from primary to secondary to A levels, although I always struggled to manage my time and balance weightlifting with my academics. In A levels I studied maths, physics and IT.

“Since being in primary school, I have always had a passion towards maths and always enjoyed doing it. I chose to do physics when I noticed that I also had a passion for space, which then made sense for me to do physics with theoretical astrophysics for my degree. My A level physics teacher was extremely influential in my decision to do physics at university. This was because I could always see a slight twinkle in his eye when he talked about physics, and his passion motivated me to do physics.”

Why did you choose Nottingham? 

“I chose to come to Nottingham for my studies because some of the best weightlifters in Britain train out at Nottingham, and I always lacked having good lifters around me with a proper community. I always trained out of a relatively small club, which meant that I did not get challenged as much in training.”

How the scholarship has helped  

“When I found out about the scholarship, I was extremely happy since my parents can’t help me much financially. I really appreciate the scholarship because it allows me to focus on my studies and sports, without having to worry as much about money and finding a job.”