Lower Sixth UCAS Day with Old Leightonians

By Connie Say, Lower Sixth

On Tuesday 21st June, our Lower Sixth met with some recent Old Leightonians to listen to their experiences on the transition from life at Leighton Park to University. The talk covered an array of topics, including experiences with UCAS applications, finding the right degree to suit prospective students, and being able to overcome challenges in academic life when they arise.

The past pupils included: Bibi Bibra (2020), studying Zoology at the University of Reading, Shaun Uppal (2020) studying Politics & International Relations at UCL, Joe Barley (2020) reading Business Administration & Management at Bath, Kate Hipkins (2020) reading American Studies at University of Nottingham, Leticia Kansime (2020), studying Global Sustainable Development and Sociology at the University of Warwick, and Emma Hipkins (2019) who has graduated from Sussex; reading Law.

Izzy James (Lower Sixth) commented: “It was a nice change to have OL’s come and speak to us about UCAS and not just teachers, because this is what really happened for them. It’s more engaging because we know these people, and so we can get an idea of what university life is actually like.”

The successes of our Old Leightonians live on past their time on the Park. Currently, Kate Hipkins is training for the ICF Women’s World Championship for Canoeing, off the back of her successes at Nationals, and Leticia Kansime has been involved in discussions with the United Nations, in relation to her Global Sustainable Development Degree. She also represented the University of Warwick at the 2022 BeEUTOPIAn Conference in Brussels. Letitia notes that her “in setting up and running the Amnesty International Club at Leighton Park, it sparked [her] interest in Socio-Political Development.” She recalls “getting involved with these clubs at LP when I was younger, led me to my degree now; and I love it.”