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My year 6 teacher first told me and my mum about KES. I had mixed feelings – the School looked like a place that could open up my life in ways that I hadn’t imagined. That said, my first impressions were quite daunting. Visiting for my interview and entrance exams, it honestly felt to me like Hogwarts, with a huge clock tower, massive corridors and a Main Hall with House Crests above the doors. It was the kind of place where “people like me” just didn’t go, coming from a council flat outside the city.
All of a sudden, I found out I’d been accepted and it was mind blowing. It suddenly hit me how many possibilities could be ahead and it was exciting. Nonetheless, I was still worried that I would be seen differently by people due to my socioeconomic background (private school stereotypes bothered young 11-year-old me).
However, once I got to KES, none of this was an issue and I wasn’t treated differently to anyone else. I quickly met a group of friends who I stayed close to right through to Sixth Form and beyond. I loved all the teachers and they became people to whom I credit so much of what I have achieved to date. There wasn’t a single subject in which I felt anything less than completely supported and helped to achieve what they knew I was capable of - even when I didn’t think so myself. In particular, I have to mention the legendary Mr Giles, who I still found myself visiting years after my final Latin lesson just to chat about Johnny English or cacti.
The variety of interests that you can pursue at KES was astonishing. I dived right into everything I could: lunchtime clubs, trips, PE. I even set up my own wildlife charity - Dominik’s Wildlife Fund - after a couple of inspirational meetings with Chris Packham. He told me about his youth and experiences getting involved with conservation and raising awareness, and pretty much said “you can do it Dom” - so I did! Over the years I have put on multiple events and donated thousands of pounds to charities, including the RSPB (who I have worked with for many years) and ORCA, a charity working to protect whales and dolphins worldwide.
Right from the beginning of my KES journey, I wanted to study Zoology at university, so I took Geography, Biology and Psychology at A Level. At the end of the Lower Sixth I found myself struggling with the required focus for the mock exams, landing me with less than ideal predicted grades. However, here again, the care of staff really shone through, and I was able to raise these predictions and secure a place at Bristol University.
I came out of uni with a 2:1 in Zoology and with the help of this degree, as well as all my past endeavours, I secured a job at Marwell Zoo working as a Guest Experience Host. This really is my dream job. I could write for pages about it, but one highlight for me is always a visit to the Tropical House. A lot of my previous life experience has been working with birds, so I am always in my element with the variety of tropical birds found inside. Depending on the time of day I can either talk to hundreds of people about the different species or watch the birds for long periods of time with no one around, observing all their quirks and interactions.
I don’t think that I would be where I am today without King Edward’s. For seven years the staff, fellow pupils, and the environment provided everything I could ever have needed to become the best possible version of myself - academically and personally. This is why I’d encourage anyone who is in a position to donate to the bursary fund to do so. Enabling people like me to attend a school like KES levels the playing field in a way that nothing else can. Creating bursaries truly gives anyone the opportunity to strive for greatness and make the best of themselves. It has changed the trajectory of my life, and long may it continue to change many more for the better.
If you are considering applying to come to KES on a bursary, all I can say is that ignoring my initial worries about the School was the best decision of my young life. At the end of the day, I wanted to go to the place where I thought I could do the most and achieve the highest – and that was KES. So I applied for the bursary and I worked hard to prove I was the person for it. The bursary allows any judgments or predispositions to take a backseat, and for the stage to fall to you and you alone. If you believe you can do it, the bursary gives you a chance to prove you can with nothing to get in your way. Go for it – KES gave me a secondary education that I will never stop being thankful for.
