We are delighted to share an inspiring story of achievement from one of our Year 9 students, Fatima. Earlier this year, Fatima entered the prestigious John Locke Institute global humanities essay competition.
Her dedication, passion for humanities, and outstanding writing earned her a place in the top 16 globally, securing an invitation to an exclusive academic conference and awards ceremony held in London.
To celebrate this remarkable accomplishment, Mr. Adams, one of our History teachers, sat down with Fatima to discuss her journey, insights, and the experiences she gained through this incredible opportunity.
Below is the full transcription of their conversation.
I was interested in the questions as I felt there were a good range of topics that would help me extend my interest in the humanities subjects beyond what I was learning in the classroom as well as developing my thought processes and academic skills. I also researched the John Locke institute and it knew that it was a prestigious organisation and would assist me in the future with university applications.
It was very different from the written work I had completed in History and Geography as I had to find credible sources and link them to my arguments, a skill that will really help me in the future. It was also interesting to link historical events to my argument and I really enjoyed the challenge of developing arguments to really make the essay stand out.
I attended the gala dinner and awards ceremony where I received a very high commendation which placed me in the top 16 essays from around the world in my category but that was only one small part of my experience. I got the chance to join other students from places like China, India, Australia, Great Britain and the USA at lectures and workshops. I really enjoyed the chance to hear from leading academics about topics such as altruism and selfishness in addition to hearing candidates discuss their award winning essays on topics like why do civilisations collapse. I also received advice on how to win the junior category next year! Finally there was the chance to hear about admissions processes to leading universities such as Harvard and Oxford and how to make sure my application would stand out.
For me the best bit was getting the chance to travel to London and meet people from around the world who share my passion for learning in the humanities - both of my age and university academics. I have built a network of contacts from the experience and I am still in touch with people on Instagram!
