Ryan Mbai

19 years old, attending the University of Bristol. Ryan was awarded a Beacon scholarship in May 2020.

Ryan is studying towards a BSc in Finance. He achieved a First in all his modules to date this year. He applied for several summer internships, developing his skills during the process and, by attending various career and job seminars, he plans to keep improving his application skills during the course of this final year.

Ryan played in the MOB intramural football tournament, helping his team to reach the semi-finals. He has been performing calisthenic exercises at home, as well as running to maintain his fitness. Ryan helped host the Afrobeats Baraza this year, which opened his eyes to a new musical genre.

As Events Representative of the EASOC, Ryan organised socials in the first term, then an activities day later in the year. He joined a conservation lecture and walk, at which he met other people with a passion for nature, with whom he carried out some woodland work. He also attended BME virtual events.

As a Student Ambassador for his course, Ryan attended offer-holder events, engaging in conversation with prospective students and forming part of a panel. He also made contact with the Blissful Minds charity about possible volunteering projects for next year and is thinking of ways that he can further support his village in Kenya.

Beacon Workshop Participation

Ryan’s 2022 Summer Beacon Citizenship Project was about building bathroom facilities for the children of Kaluni Primary School, near his home village in Kenya.

In Leadership Workshops, Ryan gave creative input, in a very eloquent way. He was a good listener who was able to build on others’ ideas. He showed a positive level of engagement in all workshops. Ryan feels that the confidence he needed to carry out some of his university roles came from the public speaking and personal skills workshops.