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Boughton Studentship awarded to exceptional History PhD candidate

The Department of History, Classics and Archaeology has selected Željka Oparnica for the newly established Margery Boughton Studentship, funded by a generous legacy donation from its namesake's late alumna.

The newly established Boughton Studentship has been awarded to Željka Oparnica, enabling her to undertake a PhD in History at Birkbeck. The studentship is made possible due to a very generous legacy donation from Margery Boughton, an alumna of the College.

Margery graduated in 1955 with a BA in History. She went on to become a senior academic. With a gift in her will, Margery chose to support future students in the History Department to study and thrive. The Boughton Studentship will provide a fee waiver for Željka’s student fees, as well as a stipend to support her living costs throughout her doctoral studies. 

Željka really values the opportunity offered by the studentship: “The Boughton legacy award has provided me with a unique opportunity to pursue a PhD at Birkbeck. This not only gives me the chance to work on the important topic of inter-religious relations but also to be part of a stimulating environment.”

Željka said that the award is all the more special given Margery Boughton’s background, “Getting a studentship award named after Margery Boughton, a prominent academic in history, a male-dominated discipline, has had an encouraging effect on me. Therefore, I would like to thank Miss Boughton and other donors to Birkbeck, with the hope I will be among them one day.”

Applications for the 2018/19 studentship will open later in the year and will be available to a student working on an interdisciplinary topic, with a record of academic excellence.

Remembering Birkbeck in your will

Like Margery Boughton, many alumni have chosen to help secure Birkbeck’s future by leaving a gift in their will.

These gifts are used to fund a variety of research projects and to support students in different ways: from funding scholarships, to hardship funds, to research, to providing new books for Birkbeck’s library. Whatever the amount, gifts in wills make an enormous difference to the College and to students who may otherwise be unable to continue in education.

Legacy gifts of every size have a lasting impact and help to ensure that Birkbeck, its high-quality teaching and its world-class research continue to serve future generations of students. If you would like to know more about leaving a gift in your will to Birkbeck, please get in touch with our team. 

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