Snehal Sidhu Patrick Memorial Fund
From the age of 16 Snehal Sidhu-Patrick was determined to study at Cambridge; despite the significant challenges she faced, including being a wheelchair user, she was not deterred. In 2001, Snehal moved from her home in Calcutta, India, to study natural sciences at Churchill College, specialising in Microbiology. She graduated in 2004, went on to do a Masters at Warwick University and worked for the University of Cambridge’s Disability Resource Centre (DRC) for 3 years.
During her years as a student and staff member at Cambridge, Snehal inspired and assisted many students and colleagues, both by helping to drive forward her personal principles and by promoting policies to further accessibility and support at the University of Cambridge. In her own words on her Cambridge experience:
‘I’ve come away with a sense that what I got was an extraordinary opportunity: I had the luck to have an extremely positive admissions tutor and an extremely helpful College; I had the support of my family; and I had financial support from various scholarships. I realise that this opportunity isn’t open to a lot of people. It has changed me so significantly that a lot of my work now is to try and encourage people to come to Cambridge.’
Sadly, Snehal passed away in July 2012 just weeks before she received her law qualifications from the highly acclaimed BPP Law School in London. The Snehal Sidhu-Patrick Memorial Fund was established by the University of Cambridge in her memory in an effort to keep alive her dedication to expanding opportunities for disabled students at Cambridge. The fund is used specifically for international disabled students.
Photograph: © University of Cambridge
Credit: Sir Cam
