Bis research paper number 128 The wider benefits of international higher education in the uk

Case study: I28 
Mexican graduate I28 had obtained top score in her first degree in cybernetics in Mexico 
and worked in the very male-dominated world of ICT. She felt she needed something 
different to progress, and obtained a Chevening Scholarship to attend an operational 
communications MSc course at Coventry. Amongst the 40 nationalities on the course 
were many Chevening Scholars and this had a strong impact on her; 
“It changed my little 
world”
: in Mexico you live with your parents until you marry, so suddenly she was thrust 
out of her comfort zone. The language, culture and independent living were all a 
challenge, but facing them with others she gained hugely in confidence, instilling a 
positive mindset 
“in the face of anything”
.
Back in Mexico I28 tried to get a job with the Government in telecoms regulation, but 
could not break into it. Told that (at 29) she was over-qualified and would not be able to 
fit into a male team, she was repeatedly rejected. After a short period in the more liberal 
financial sector, she applied for a visa and came to the UK. She worked for her old 
Mexican company, and now leads international teams working with different companies 
on strategic IT and communications infrastructure work. Long-term she would like to 
return to Mexico to teach at a university, in the “
English style
” (which she sees as 
challenging students, 
“not spoon-feeding them with knowledge”
). She also has 
aspirations to start a consultancy company with other Chevening Scholars. 
I28 meets up with alumni friends whenever they visit London. She returns to Mexico 
twice annually and feels she is a travelling ambassador; living here she feels she is 
continually refreshing her bond with the UK and its benefits and can transmit them back 
home when she visits. She encourages others to study abroad and shares her 
experiences. Her view is that such an experience 
“takes the best of you”
, and that she 
has benefited from a gender-blind education that has changed her life in several ways, 
for which she feels deeply grateful to the UK.