The school gave me so many incredible opportunities from playing cricket in Sri Lanka to teaching English in India and even playing rugby at the Twickenham stoop.
Emanuel has a knack for attracting genuinely kind and caring people, both students and teachers. To me, the school is about helping individuals pursue their talents and reach their full potential, no matter where those talents lie. I wholeheartedly benefitted from this ethos and know that my peers did too – the list of incredible things OEs are going on to do is endless and such a testament to this culture that we all grew up on. I always felt supported to pursue new passions and interests whether in the classroom or on the sports field and am so grateful for the time put into me in all facets of my life.
I recognise how fortunate I am to have benefitted from such a diverse and incredible education that has brought so many opportunities and opened so many doors. When I first started at Emanuel, I definitely didn’t appreciate how lucky I really was. As a young teenager being on a fully funded place wasn’t something that I totally came to terms with or found easy to talk about with my peers. Over time, as I grew in confidence, it has become such an important part of me and something I am hugely proud of. Learning these lessons from a young age has been invaluable and I am so grateful for so many teachers who have had such a profound and lasting impact on me.
I was also privileged enough to have been sponsored by one family throughout my time at the school. Having the opportunity to meet them and say thank you in upper sixth is a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life. People who choose to invest in young individuals like me are truly remarkable. It genuinely does make a difference that goes far beyond academic attainment or qualifications. Emanuel has instilled a confidence and self-belief that I didn’t realise I could have. My teachers taught me to aim high and to be curious and ambitious in whatever I do.
The work that Emanuel does in this space is inspiring and I am hugely proud to have been a part of it. It has been so amazing to hear about the success and continued expansion of free places at the school.