A COLLEGE student has thanked a businessman for his £18,000 "gift" to help her through university.
Stephanie Bill, 18, a student at Wyke College, was selected by businessman Shaun Mays.
Mr Mays is a successful investment professional living between New York and Zurich but wanted to help out a student from his own city.
He grew up in Hull, attending Chiltern Primary School, Wheeler Street School and Kingston High School before going on to study metallurgy at Leeds University.
When higher university fees were introduced, and with his own children just finishing university, Mr Mays decided he wanted to do something.
With his secondary school no longer in existence, he realised he would have gone to Wyke College if were a student now.
He held interviews with potential recipients in March and selected Stephanie, who is studying biology, chemistry and psychology.
Her first choice is to go to York to study psychology.
She said: "It is great. I want to say thank you to Shaun for supporting me.
"It is really going to make a big difference to my studies and I would also like to say thank you on behalf of my family. It has taken a lot of pressure off.
"I am really looking forward to going to university."
Stephanie will be helped with living costs by Shaun and she says it will help keep her focused on her studies to become a clinical psychologist.
She said: "I won't have to worry about getting a job while I am at university. I will be able to focus on my studies."
Mike Rogerson, vice-principal at Wyke College, said: "Stephanie is very hard working and that came across in her interview. She works her socks off.
"It is a very generous offer from someone to come back and help a student in their home city. Stephanie has the cushion of knowing she won't have any accommodation costs and she has help towards her living costs.
"That, in itself, is quite something."
Mr Rogerson said the college felt deep gratitude towards Mr Mays for his support.
Stephanie is a worthy winner," he said.
"There are good reasons why he picked her and she is deserving.
"Equally, there were many other students he could have picked.
"Shaun put them totally at ease and talked very openly to them.
"They were all a bit nervous but adapted very quickly, answered his questions and spoke very well."
