I am currently in my final year of a degree in Politics and International Relations and have recently been offered a place at Durham University for a Master’s Degree in Politics and International Relations. I’m passionate about politics and changing the world we live in to make more equitable, especially for women and people of the global majority.

Some of my proudest achievements since leaving The Ruth Gorse Academy include:

• Consort for the Lord Mayor of Leeds 2023-2024
• Charity Trustee for the Leeds African Communities Trust
• Work experience with the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves MP during 2024 general election as well as many other Councilors and MPs in the Yorkshire and Humberside region
• BAME Officer for Young Labour Leeds
• Women’s Officer for South Leeds Labour Party
• Graduated from the Patchwork Foundation masterclass 2024
• United Nations UK Women’s delegate
• Invited to the House of Lords for debates by Baroness Verma as part of the FLAIR Summit (First Ladies in Africa Impact and Resilience)
• Worked on Campaigning for Women’s rights in The Gambia in relations to FGM laws with people such as the high commissioner of the Gambia for the UK

I am currently a Consulting Apprentice at KPMG and I am enjoying the variety and challenge this brings. After leaving The Ruth Gorse Academy, I joined Elliott Hudson College (our partner post-16 institution) and completed A levels in Law, Business Studies and Economics. During my time at the college, I successfully applied for a Degree Apprenticeship with KPMG within the Consulting/Advisory service line. Since joining the firm last year, I have had the pleasure of working on the biggest contract KPMG UK has, returning back to my old college and secondary school to volunteer and also networking with some amazing people. I’d really advocate a Degree Apprenticeship as an alternative route to higher education than the traditional 3 year undergraduate course.

After leaving The Ruth Gorse Academy, I attended Leeds College of Building, where I studied Civil Engineering and achieved D*DD overall in my Level 3 qualification. Currently, I am in my second year at Northumbria University on a Civil Engineering MEng (Hons) degree. I am preparing to undertake an industrial placement year at AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) as an “Applied and Theoretical Scientist” on the Blast/Structural Assessment Engineering team.

After completing my GCSE studies at The Ruth Gorse Academy, I achieved a great set of A Level qualifications from Elliott Hudson College and subsequently secured an apprenticeship in accountancy with Ford Campbell Freeman Ltd. I am currently within my first year of the apprenticeship, in a position where I am gaining invaluable experience in audit and financial accounts preparation. My team and I often attend client visits, where we work together to complete each client’s audit before the end of their given financial period. With the use of intuitive accounting software, I am growing increasingly confident in my ability to develop as a trainee accountant.

Since leaving The Ruth Gorse Academy, I have been actively involved in advocating for young people through my work with the UK Youth Parliament. I was honoured to be one of the three successful candidates for Leeds, representing our city on a national scale. As a Member of Youth Parliament (MYP), my primary focus has been supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds and steering youth away from crime.

Additionally, I was selected as one of the 16 Youth Ambassadors for the Children’s Commissioner of England, where I have the esteemed honour of representing and amplifying the voices of children and young people to policymakers and government ministers. This role has allowed me to engage in meaningful discussions and contribute to shaping policies that impact the lives of young people across the country.

As I look to the future, I am eager to engage in politics and international relations, with a particular passion for helping displaced people from different countries feel welcomed and accepted in the UK. I believe that everyone deserves a chance to thrive, and I am committed to making a positive difference in our society.

I’m currently in my final year at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), studying Urban Studies and Planning with a focus on international development and global health. Over the last three and a half years, I’ve had a wide range of incredible opportunities, including:

• Teaching maths to high school students for a month in Italy and leading a three-week problem-solving workshop for refugee teenagers in Greece.
• Supporting humanitarian projects on water access in Madagascar, maternal health in Nepal, and wildlife conservation in the Dominican Republic.
• Guiding first-year university students in developing drought-resistant water solutions for farmland in Navajo Nation, a Native American reservation.
• Co-founding an assistive technology club, where we design custom devices for disabled individual; one of my favourite projects helped a father with limited upper mobility play catch with his children.
• Leading a think tank project with MIT, Harvard, and Stanford students to address maternal healthcare inequities in rural America.

I had quite the journey figuring out my career path. I started at MIT as a mechanical engineer but moved to urban studies after discovering my passion for social development work, something I wouldn’t have realised without the unique opportunities MIT provided. Instead of continuing in engineering, I now plan to pursue a PhD in global health after MIT, specialising in maternal healthcare access in low-resource communities.

For those considering alternatives to a UK degree, top U.S. universities offer unparalleled opportunities for hands-on research and impact-driven projects from the very first year, along with the flexibility to tailor your undergraduate experience to your specific goals.

I am currently in my second year of studying law at Durham University. After leaving The Ruth Gorse Academy, I was awarded a highly competitive bursary to study at The Grammar School at Leeds. There, I began debating, quickly progressing to national-level competitions within months and receiving the school’s highest award, Full Colours. During this time, I also continued my role as a Leeds Youth Councillor, which I began at The Ruth Gorse Academy, working on important initiatives such as addressing youth mental health and pandemic-related inequality gaps. With strong results in four A-Levels and an EPQ, I moved into my legal studies. At Durham, I write for the Durham Women in Law Newsletter and have gained valuable experience at world-leading law firms, including Slaughter and May and the U.S. law firm Covington & Burling. I am particularly drawn to commercial law and look forward to developing my expertise in this field.

Leaving The Ruth Gorse Academy, I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t until Spring in Year 12 that I really began to build my pathway into dentistry. I spent Year 12 revising for my A Level mocks and topic tests, volunteering, and searching for work experience in preparation for my UCAS application. Summer of Year 12 was dedicated to the UCAT exam and writing my personal statement, ready to be sent to my universities in October. My application earned me interviews at all 4 of my chosen universities, and I received 2 offers, including 1 from my dream dental school, King’s College London! It was then up to me to meet their offer expectations, A*AA in my A levels. I can happily say that I’m now a dental student at KCL. If I’m not slaving away with lectures or scrubbing up for tooth waxing, I like to volunteer at a food bank every other week with my friends, occasionally play some padel, and discover new parts of London at the weekends. I’m looking forward to a career in dentistry and I’m proud my journey started at The Ruth Gorse Academy.