Formerly an Executive Assistant for Boston Consulting Group, Zehra Miah applied to study a part-time BA History at Birkbeck, followed by an Eric Hobsbawm scholarship-funded MA European History and Bonnart Trust-funded MPhil focusing on the Turkish experience in London from 1970-1999.

Zehra’s research considers whether ethnic, religious and racial labels have helped or hindered the Turkish speaking minorities in London in the recent past, which touches on her family’s experience – her father first came to London from Istanbul in 1971 and opened a restaurant on Kingsland High Street in Dalston.

Juggling her studies with bringing up her family, the scholarships ensured she could remain in her chosen field of study and is now well on her way toward her goal of an academic career. Speaking at an event honouring Eric Hobsbawm and his legacy, Zehra said that “my peers and this scholarship have changed my life.”