Meet Toni Rull: 2025 Scholarship Graduate.

At Shillington, our Half Scholarship Program empowers people from all walks of life to pursue their passion for design. One of those inspiring students is Toni Rull, who came to Shillington after working as a social worker in children’s services.

With no formal design background beyond a bit of Photoshop back in school, Toni took a leap of faith and applied for the Half Scholarship after several attempts. When the congratulations email finally arrived, it opened the door to a transformative journey.

In this interview, Toni reflects on the creative response that won her the scholarship, the highs and challenges of studying at Shillington, and how the program has shaped her path into the design world.

Toni! Like many of our Half Scholarship prospective students, you have a diverse background and had a career before Shillington. What were you up to?

I was a Newly Qualified Social Worker. I just completed my first year of practice within children's services, and I had a lot to process

What motivated you to apply for the half-scholarship program?

I have always believed that Art & Design is powerful. It helps shape as well as reflect the people's attitudes, values and beliefs as an era, movement and/or period of time. I want to know about how such things were created.

Did you have any design experience before applying, or were you starting fresh?

No experience other than some use of Photoshop during my A Level Media Studies, way back in 2012, so over 13 years ago.

How did you approach your creative response for the scholarship?

I was raised in a corner shop (really stereotypical for a British Indian girl from East London, I know) and decided to take pictures of their shop windows (which I have not done since  Richard Estes' project in Secondary School), where I found loads of posters, stickers and signage which I parodied to advise myself. As if it were a shop window flogging the best Toni

What was your reaction when you found out you won?

I have actually applied a good couple of times before, but I was unsuccessful, so I was completely floored by the Congratulations email.

What did receiving the half-scholarship mean to you personally and professionally?

It was a huge opportunity for me to develop skills in this area. Personally, I felt it was a moment to actually nurture a childhood calling which can take centre stage in my adult life. Professionally, I have always woven my skills and experiences to enrich my service in helping people, so I was excited to be a student again, to go with the flow and see where things take me.

Toni's packaging project at Shillington, Licks.

How would you describe your experience studying at Shillington?

It was intense, not only by the pace of the briefs and the newness of the skills I was developing, but very much in an existential sense. For me, personally, it was a colossal breakdown of my sense of identity (an ego death), which I never anticipated would occur.

What were the most valuable skills you learned during the course?

The process of creation, from first exploring the brief until the final design. That has been a valuable skill for me. With my personal projects, I was just shooting in the dark and often lost, so having a methodical path was invaluable.

How did the community of teachers and classmates impact your learning journey?

I was really surprised by how much people on a laptop screen, from me not leaving my bedroom, can have such a monumental impact on me, in the real world. My classmates are truly the most beautiful humans that I have been fortunate enough to virtually know, and it was a gift to see them also grow through the process of Shillington. My teachers are all talented, experienced and accomplished educators who all have a wealth of knowledge to give. It was a gift to have learned from all of them (Dan, Ros, Mags, Chloe, George, Nick and Jack), by them just being them and just observing seven different personalities in tackling the same subject. The breadth of teaching styles and the breadth of learning, in a short space of time, was both a massive experience.

Where are you now in your career, and how has the scholarship helped you get there?

I have a few freelance opportunities, which have been wonderful. Post Shillington, I was fortunate to have experienced the generous support of friends who were kind enough to extend a hand to me and support me on my continued journey.

Can you share a project or achievement you’re most proud of since graduating?

With the heaviness of the world, I was able to shoulder some of it by creating my first placard at a recent demonstration. It was powerful to alchemise such darkness into a voice that can stand. I aim to continue that newfound calling.

Has the scholarship opened opportunities you might not have had otherwise?

It has opened a world of creative opportunities, as well as a creative community of people who are also called to a visual form. I was only on the fringes before, but Shillington has kindly opened the door into this world and a new path for me.

What would you say to someone considering applying for the half-scholarship?

My Mum used to say, "you don't know if you don't try", so what I say is try, go for it. There is truly nothing to lose and everything to gain, as well as a piece of work you've brought into the world.

Looking back, how has winning the scholarship shaped your design career path?

I am old enough and I have met enough people to know that a career path is not always a linear one, and every experience can shape it, including this one, and it has been a transformational one where the ripple effects still have not reached the edges of the lake yet. The shape of it is still unknown, but I'm excited to find that out in due time.

And finally, if you could give one piece of advice to future applicants, what would it be?

You are not your work. You are immeasurable. You are an infinite number of things. You are so much more than you know, and you have a whole lifetime to explore, and here is a single moment in time. I would say, don't think about it too much and go with the flow.

Inspired by Toni’s journey? Our Half Scholarship Program is now open for 2026!

This is your chance to study graphic design at Shillington, build an industry-ready portfolio, and open the door to new creative opportunities.

But don’t wait! The deadline to apply is 20 October at 5pm EDT.

👉 Apply for the Half Scholarship here