What have our students achieved

Rachael Frank

Studying History at the University of Cambridge

I was a student at The Milton Keynes Academy from year 7. I have always enjoyed learning and I left year 11 with 9 A* GCSE grades.

When I joined the The Milton Keynes Academy Sixth Form, I knew that I wanted to become a History teacher and I wanted to try my best to go to Oxford or Cambridge University. I studied A-Level History, Geography and English Literature and achieved A grades in all my AS exams at the end of year 12.

The Sixth Form team supported me through the university application process, and I was provided with an external mentor specifically for my Oxbridge application. This was a fantastic opportunity supporting me with my personal statement and interview practice, something that I had never experienced before.

I was thrilled when I was offered a place at Cambridge to study History and enjoy returning to MKA to talk to other students about my experience.

Jerome Hart

London School of Economics to study Economics and Politics

I have always had a keen interest in all things Economics and to say that I am interested in Politics would be an understatement. I often joke about setting up my own political party. I work hard to achieve the best grades that I can, and I really enjoy reading. This has helped, as I read a wide variety of text to broaden my knowledge of not only everything that I study but also of the economy, politics, and society in general.

I joined the London School of Economics (LSE) in September 2017, in Spring I was lucky to be accepted onto the prestigious Goldman Sachs internship programme and I am spending this summer with them again. Goldman Sachs are a multinational investment back and financial investment consultancy. I gained a place on their graduate scheme when I leave the LSE in 2021.

Temmy Bamishe

After studying a range of styles in A-Level Dance, my peers and teachers noticed my potential to excel in dance and achieve a successful career in the arts. They then encouraged me to apply for one of the top stage schools in the UK, The Urdang Academy; an independent performing arts academy that is highly dance driven. I was ecstatic when I received an email congratulating me on not only securing a place on the foundation course in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre.

Salma Ahmed

The subjects I studied at The Milton Keynes Sixth Form were Sociology, Health and Social Care and Applied Science. I chose these subjects based on the career I wanted in the future. I then graduated from the University of Hertfordshire having studied Diagnostic Radiography and Imaging for 3 years. I now work at the University Hospital Milton Keynes and have a career in Diagnostic Radiography. My journey started in Milton Keynes Academy.

However, sixth form life isn’t all about choosing courses – it is also about participating in some extra-curricular activities and volunteering. I took part in the Young Enterprise scheme where students from every school in the country have the chance to form a team and create their own unique business. This was a massive success for my team as we managed to win various awards such as ‘Best Presentation’, ‘Best Trade Stand’ and ‘Best Overall Company’. Alongside all of this, we were the only team in Milton Keynes to make it all the way to the county finals.

In addition to my achievements, I successfully competed with the other sixth formers for a paid internship with Halifax. This involved passing rigorous tests, an interview and training sessions. I was successful, in that I was offered a summer job which I accepted and was later offered a permanent Saturday contract because of all my hard work and commitment. Working at Halifax has been an incredible experience and has taught me a range of different skills. When I left to go to University, the Halifax is was to transfer me to a branch closer to the university, meaning that I had a secure job in place.

Other things that I volunteered to do included becoming a Sixth Form Ambassador. I was taken on as the Careers Ambassador following my success at Halifax. I also participated in a challenge that would inform young people about water safety. All the different opportunities that I seized have provided me with something extra to put on my CV to make me stand out from other candidates when applying for jobs in the future.

Shazmin Ahmed

I studied Health and Social Care and Applied Science. I chose these subjects because I wanted to apply for a Midwifery course at University and I felt that these subjects would provide the right foundations to achieve a place at university.

I grabbed every opportunity that was given to me. My first achievement was becoming a Sixth Form Ambassador, and then I managed to get involved in The Young Experience competition. As a Young Enterprise team, the first award we were presented with was ‘Runner Up Best Overall Company’ at the Middleton Hall Trade Fair. We were so successful that the director from Sky Events personally offered me a job as a part of their promotional team.  We smashed the area finals winning ‘Best Trade Stand’, ‘Best Presentation’ and being ‘Overall Best Company’. Furthermore, I achieved an individual prize for the development of business skills during the competition.  From there, we went on to win ‘Best Presentation’ at County level and I received the ‘Journey Award’, an award given by the YE South East regional director.

My knowledge gained through Young Enterprise convinced me to apply for a course in Business Management instead of midwifery. Therefore, after Sixth Form I went on to higher education at the University of Westminster to study International Business Management.

My aspiration for the future is to become a corporate lawyer.