I’m the Scholar Engagement Advisor at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, where I oversee two of the School’s prestigious and impact-driven scholarships:  the Laidlaw Scholarship and the Oxford–Pershing Square Graduate Scholarship. In this role, I support scholars from the application stage through to their time on course, acting as a key liaison between them, the School, and the respective foundations. My work includes scholar communications, events and programming, reporting, and community-building. I bring over a decade of experience across finance, higher education, events and marketing. Before joining Oxford Saïd in 2022, I spent nearly five years at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences as a Senior Finance Officer. Earlier in my career, I worked at Oxford Professional Education Group as Student Finance Manager and In-House Graphic Designer. After finishing my studies, I began my career in London with Marriott International, where I worked in sales, events, and marketing.

I am the Senior Program Coordinator with Duke University's Hart Leadership Program, which supports the Laidlaw Scholars Program and several other undergraduate experiential learning programs. In May 2024, I completed my doctorate in the Study of Religion at Harvard University with a focus in contemporary Islamic studies and American religions. My dissertation work examined the shape and impact of U.S. Muslim civic organizations and community organizing in the city of Detroit. I also hold a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Appalachian State University (go Mountaineers!). My studies have been driven by a deep interest in the intersections of religion and civic life in the contemporary U.S. To that end, I've worked as a researcher for the Listening to Women about Abortion & Religion Project, a Religion, Spirituality, and Democratic Renewal Fellow with the Social Science Research Council, and an adjunct professor at Stonehill College. In my role with Hart Leadership Program, I engage my training as a researcher, educator, and program builder to provide strong student support and advance community-engaged scholarship and education. Whether you're a Duke student or a Laidlaw Scholar at another institution, I'd be happy to connect and talk about social science research design and methods, religious studies and anthropology, applying to and navigating graduate school, or putting together strong research grant and fellowship proposals.

Ajibola's career journey has evolved from a management consultant role at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to becoming an infrastructure investment specialist at the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). Her future aspirations are driven by her strong dedication to the development of infrastructure in Nigeria and throughout Africa. Ajibola has devoted her professional life to contributing to development and social impact projects in Nigeria, with an emphasis on the nation’s healthcare and infrastructure development. These experiences have equipped her with indispensable skills and expertise that fuel her commitment to advancing Nigeria's development. With a bachelor’s degree in economics, her long-term goal is to establish a Pan-African development finance institution focused on impact and infrastructure investments.

My name is Tara Lago, and I am a Rabi Scholar and Laidlaw Scholar at Columbia University pursuing a major in neuroscience and behavior with a concentration in chemistry. With more than 3 years of research related to social science, depression, animal behavior, and computational neuroscience, I aim to study and apply the basic neural mechanisms that underlie human health.  I am passionate about helping my community, inside and outside of the lab. Whether that be creating inclusive programs for my first-year residents as a Resident Advisor or advocating for the freedom to read with the New York and Brooklyn Public Library, I seek to create supportive spaces that encourage intellectual, emotional, and social growth. After my undergraduate education, I plan to work in academic medicine, with the ambition of obtaining an MD-PhD in the future. 

With a passion for IT and finance, I bring over five years of consulting experience where I’ve led, mentored, and trained diverse teams on large-scale projects in risk advisory, ITGC, and financial systems. At Deloitte, I became the youngest senior consultant, managing complex international projects while actively mentoring junior consultants. I am deeply committed to developing others, empowering my team members to take ownership of their growth, and creating a collaborative environment that fosters excellence. Beyond my professional role, I am passionate about gender equality and giving back to my community. As an active mentor with the Kav Mashve foundation, I train and guide young Arab women, helping them overcome barriers in the Israeli labor market and secure positions in leading firms. My mission is to empower women in underrepresented communities, helping them realize their full potential.

I am currently a undergraduate student at the University of Leeds pursuing a degree in International Business. With the Laidlaw Scholarship I have participated in two leadership development residentials with the Laidlaw team at Leeds along with my cohort. My research project was titled "Exploring the Most Efficient Mapping Techniques and Platform to Map Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)"  which was a insightful exploration of curriculum mapping and the possibilities for artificial intelligence to assist within the mapping process. My Leadership-in-Action was with make_sense americas & Rennueva taking place in Mexico City over 6-weeks, with a focus on climate impact. My team focused on implementing improvements to the companies website such as displaying the amount of carbon saved through the amount of plastic donated.

Hi all, my name is Lin, I am orignally from China, after working in the big tech company for 3 years, I hope to explore more so applied for the business school. Now, I am an MBA student at London business school. Looking forward to meeting more people within the Laidlaw community. 

Hello! I'm Sahana (she/her), a electrical and computer engineering student at the University of Toronto. Deeply passionate about sustainability, my goal is to leverage my engineering problem-solving skills to develop solutions that prioritize inclusivity and well being of vulnerable communities and environments. This summer I will be conducting research on the effectiveness of blockchain-backed NFC cards for disaster relief in Vanuatu. 

I am a junior at Cornell University majoring in Global Development with a concentration in social and economic development. My interest lies in education, employment, and migration. Within this interest, I have delved into the correlation between education, the workforce, and migration & mobility (especially the concept “brain drain” and "brain gain"). I am passionate about improving global access to social and economic opportunities that young people have to leverage their human capital. With experience serving as Diversity Ambassador for the Cornell Undergraduate Office and Research Assistant for Professor Ivory’s “African Futures Project,” I strive to understand youth holistically from primary and secondary insight. I aspire to work in law for a youth development and/or an international organization.