Megan Field-Minter
Megan (LLB Law, 2012) has chosen to leave a gift in her will to Birmingham Law School, inspired by the life changing opportunity the University once gave her.
As a student, Megan fully immersed herself in Birmingham’s vibrant community - from joining societies and taking part in competitions to forming life‑long friendships. Now, Megan wants to help others access the same transformative experiences she had. She reflects on her journey into higher education and why supporting future Law students means so much to her.
Education and the opportunity to learn is very important to me, and leaving a gift to Birmingham Law School is a way to say thank you for giving me a chance all those years ago.
What brought you to the University of Birmingham and what experiences did it bring you?
I came to the University to study Law from 2009-2012. I was considered a mature student despite only being 21 at the time, having had a more unusual route to higher education. I hadn't achieved the traditional GCSE and A levels having had to have a lot of time off school during my GCSE years due to health problems. I completed an Access to HE course at my local college and Birmingham gave me a chance despite not meeting their standard offer. For this, I am forever grateful as I completed that Law degree with a 2:1 and achieved First class marks for my dissertation and some of my essays. I fully embraced my time at Birmingham, joining the Debating Society and serving on the committee as Vice Chair in 2010 and Chair in 2011, playing polo in the University's Polo Club, and getting to the final of the annual Mooting competition. I also made some incredible friends that are still in my life today despite living all over the UK and Ireland.
Where has your career taken you since graduating?
After Birmingham, I joined the Nationwide Building Society Corporate Graduate programme where I specialised in product management and marketing of investment and protection products, finishing the programme as a Fund Research Analyst. Since then, I have completed an MSc in Business Management and I am currently studying an MRes in Politics and International Studies at the University of Bath, having moved to Swindon to work at Nationwide. I left Nationwide to work with horses, achieving my British Horse Society coaching qualifications and I now work at an international equestrian centre that trains students for careers in the equine industry where I specialise in teaching the business management units. I am also responsible for their digital marketing.
Why is giving back through your will meaningful to you?
Having bought our first home, my husband and I decided to get our wills drafted. Education and the opportunity to learn is very important to me, and leaving a gift to Birmingham Law School is a way to say thank you for giving me a chance all those years ago. Without it, I wouldn't be where I am today. I am leaving the gift with the hope that it will help to support students to access and complete legal education at Birmingham in whatever way the Law School believes is best, but I would really like it if it was used to help students that have overcome hurdles, broadly defined, to get to university. I know how much university education at a good school can change a life for the better and I would love to contribute to that for someone else.