Queens’ College Roadshow 2022

Being a part of Queens’ College Roadshow has been the highlight of my 2022 so far!

Last year I participated in the virtual roadshow but visiting a variety of schools around Kent in person this year was truly worth the while. We had many keen responses from aspiring Oxbridge and other University students, as well as tremendously grateful staff. As a Kentish citizen, this was a great opportunity to uncover just how accessible and achievable Cambridge University can be for hard-working state school pupils.

The best part of the roadshow, however, was visiting my old secondary school, Fulston Manor, to present the same talk I had heard from three Queens’ students four years ago! It was like time had never passed. To actually be able to step out of the virtual screen I had remained behind in 2021 was awesome! Despite the nervous, excited butterflies in my stomach, I was warmly welcomed and enthusiastically greeted by all my old A-Level and GCSE teachers as we took a trip down memory lane to reminisce about my academic journey through photographs on the corridor display boards. Familiar faces asked me if it ‘felt weird’ to be back, but this was not the case. I felt a sense of comfort and pride as Fulston provided me with the most supportive and joyful teenage years anyone could have wished for.

Once I had finally given the ‘applying to Cambridge’ presentation with my fellow Queens’ peers, I received many engaging questions from our year 11 audience. Many students stayed behind after the talk to chat to me about my time in Fulston and ask for advice or just have a laugh. It was an incredibly warming experience full of nostalgia, making it extremely hard to leave afterwards and not head back into my year 13 timetable.

I look forward to welcoming all the new Queens’ freshers into College in October and hopefully inspiring many more students in our 2023 roadshow.

Support Access and Outreach initiatives, like Queens College Roadshow, on #QueensGivingDay: https://queensgivingday.queens.cam.ac.uk/p/accessoutreach/