Scholarship Story: “Education changes lives - especially for girls”

Gloria Agel Adongo, 31, from Uganda, is pursuing her MA in Education, Gender and International Development at UCL.

Hi Gloria! Tell us a little about yourself.

Working as a teacher in a refugee camp for four years inspired me to study Gender, but so did my childhood in rural Uganda. In both contexts, I witnessed how women’s voices were often silenced and how they were denied the opportunity to express themselves or reach their full potential. 

My parents were smallholder farmers who grew food and cash crops like cotton, soyabeans, and sunflower, and they also reared pigs and goats. Despite their hard work, money was always tight. To send me and my brother to school, they had to borrow money and sell livestock. When we both completed our Advanced levels, they couldn’t afford to send us both to university. My brother made a selfless decision to do some small business so I could study, and he supported me financially throughout my university education. 

I decided to become a teacher, though I realised I never actually asked myself why. Looking back, I think it’s because I’ve always believed education has the power to transform lives, especially for girls. I earned my BA in Education from Kyambogo University and taught in a private secondary school for three years. The pay was low, and the hours were long, but I was passionate about helping my students succeed. 

Eventually, I got a job teaching in a refugee settlement in Adjumani District, near the border with South Sudan. It was a life-changing experience. I had never worked with refugees before, and while life in the camp was difficult, I learned so much. Taking the job meant moving far away from home and leaving behind my young daughter, which wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I had to quickly learn how to be resilient. I had to think: what do I want for my daughter? I want her to grow up in a world where she never doubts her worth or her voice. I want her to feel confident, to speak up, to pursue her dreams, and to thrive in a world that too often tells girls to shrink themselves. I want her to know that she belongs in classrooms, in leadership, and in every space where decisions are made. Most of all, I want her to grow up knowing that she can be whoever she chooses to be. 

What made you want to pursue a WTI scholarship?

Working at Ayilo Secondary School in the refugee settlement gave me an experience of what women and girls go through in a society where harmful gender norms still exist. Some male students openly resisted our authority, saying, “We’ve grown up like this - you can’t change it.” These were children who had fled war, and we wanted school to be a place of peace and hope, but earning their respect as female teachers wasn’t easy. Refugee women also suffered: they were often viewed as inferior by their own communities and subjected to physical and emotional violence. Early each morning, I’d see women going out to dig with their children or repairing their huts, while the men sat together, drinking, talking and laughing. It became clear to me that gender inequality was deeply rooted in culture, and unless it was actively challenged, it would continue to limit women and girls for generations to come. 

Although I loved my work, I knew I needed to build my skills and deepen my understanding. The school I worked in was supported by Windle International - Uganda, so I applied for a postgraduate scholarship through WTI. My first attempt was unsuccessful, but I didn’t give up. On my second attempt, I was awarded the scholarship, which brought me to UCL. My time in London has been a huge adjustment, especially coming straight from the settlement. It’s such a busy city! I live at Goodenough College, in the centre of town, and when I’m free, I love walking in Hyde Park or visiting museums. As a student, I loved reading plays and novels, so visiting the Charles Dickens Museum was especially meaningful for me. 

What do you plan to do when you go back to Uganda?

I chose to study Education, Gender and International Development because I had seen firsthand how inequality undermines learning, especially for girls. Here at UCL, I’m currently working on a research project titled "Empowering Girls through the Competency-Based Curriculum." I chose this topic because I realised that the gender disparities and stereotypes children are exposed to from a young age at home are often reinforced through the curriculum itself. I’m passionate about finding out whether the Ugandan curriculum has been revised to reflect gender equality, how women and girls are represented within it, and whether girls feel empowered through what they learn. Education should not only transfer knowledge, but it should also challenge harmful norms and promote equity.