"I feel lucky to have a bursary at Dame Allan's, it helped my path to aerospace engineering.”

My Mum was a teaching assistant in my primary school, and she knew that when it came to secondary school, she wanted to be able to give me more opportunities and she was also a bit worried about me falling into ‘the wrong crowd’. She wanted to raise my potential, and for that, she found Dame Allan’s.

I’d say I was definitely quite introverted when I started at the school. I joined in Year 7 not knowing anyone, and I admit I did feel a bit lost on that first day. However, I shouldn’t have worried - I soon made lots of friends. 

My teachers and the way the lessons are structured encouraged me to speak to lots of people, and I was encouraged to take part in co-curricular activities to help with this too. 

I’m part of the Vex robotics team, and from Years 7 -10 I took part in public speaking as well, which helped build my confidence even further. I now really enjoy talking about my passions. I even gave cricket a go, which I’d never tried at my old school. 

I’ve found the specialist teaching staff here to be so supportive, especially in STEM subjects. Mrs Willis and Mrs Crompton in particular have been so helpful with any question I have. 

I feel lucky to have a bursary award at Dame Allan’s, I think it has definitely helped me on my path to becoming an aerospace engineer. I’m studying maths, further maths and computer science now, with the hope of attending Cambridge, Imperial College or Durham.

To any new pupils staring at the Schools - whether you hold a bursary award or not - I’d say talk to as many people as you can! Make friends, and try to chill out a little bit. My past year in Sixth Form has been my best yet at Dame Allan’s, and I am really looking forward to the future.