Twenty-year old Aleandra Cilia from Fgura recently became the first University of Malta student to be awarded the Alistair David Robert Chalmers (ADRC) Bursary. This will permit her to pursue further studies in Portuguese.

Keen on languages, travel and finding out about different cultures, the 3rd Year Spanish and Latin American Studies student will be proceeding to the University of Coimbra for further study. While in Portugal Aleandra will also visit museums and other places of interest there.

The ADRC Trust was founded in 2013 by members of the Chalmers family, in memory of their late son and brother Alistair, whose many interests included Hispanic Studies, especially Latin America, where he travelled extensively and did voluntary work. 

The Alistair Chalmers Bursary is a scholarship awarded annually to a deserving undergraduate student from the University’s Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies in order to attend a 4 to 6 week residential course at a Portuguese or Spanish university to further their studies and improve their language skills.

Present at the award ceremony were Aleandra's parents, Mr Mario and Mrs Tania Cilia; Mr Roderick and Mrs Mary Rose Chalmers, as well as Mr Christopher and Mrs Amanda Kaye for the ADRC Trust; Rector, Professor Juanito Camilleri, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Dominic Fenech, and Professor Carmel Vassallo for the University of Malta.