Aaron Valand

2013-2018

I attended Rushey Mead Academy from 2013 to 2018. During my time at Rushey Mead I had many fond memories. My fondest memories include playing football on the field every day, inter-form competitions and becoming a divisional captain in my final year.

After leaving Rushey Mead in 2018, I went on to do my A-Levels at WQE. Here I studied Maths, Business and Economics. These subjects allowed me to pursue a degree in Economics at the University of Leicester. My academic journey has led me to a career in Audit, where I work as an Audit Associate for PwC. Over the years, I have developed skills in project management, having an eye for detail, and innovative problem-solving.

Rushey Mead supported me by providing me with a solid academic foundation to pursue a career in economics. Even though Economics wasn’t a subject taught during my time at Rushey Mead, the skills I gained from my other subjects, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, were invaluable.

I think it’s extremely important that students follow their passion, as this translates onto their work.  I will also emphasise the power of networking!! I am very fortunate to work for one of the big 4 accounting firms in the UK and the way I was able to do so was by meeting different people. I would often attend networking events and ask those there what they did at the firm, what they enjoyed about their job and what the firm was currently doing in the industry. By doing so I could holistically decide whether that was a job for me or not. Hence my number one tip would be to be brave! You never know who might be able to help you – and this isn’t just in the working world, it is in life.

Amisha Patel

2014-2019

Through the help and support of staff, I was able to consistently improve in my grades. Teachers were always willing to help and encouraged me to go above and beyond. This has made a difference in my life because now I set high goals for myself and always try to achieve them. Rushey Mead also encouraged me (and all students) to take up opportunities. This allowed me to make the most out of my time at Rushey Mead through afterschool clubs and having roles within the school such as Maths Ambassador, Prefect and divisional captain. Not only did I enjoy these roles, but I also was able to discuss this in applications and interviews for internships and insight weeks in sixth form for JP Morgan and PwC. These experiences influenced my choice to study Economics at university and my decision to work within the financial services industry.

 Highly recommend students to follow the Sutton Trust and Social Mobility Foundation on social media. They have many opportunities mainly for Year 12 students, but also pathways to apprenticeship programmes. Being a part of both of these organisations, I have had a 2-week internship at JP Morgan, a summer school at the University of Nottingham, where I am currently studying and training to apply to a US university. As part of the alumni, you get exclusive opportunities, which has allowed me to be a part of a year-long programme with Bloomberg, and is how I have been offered a summer internship with Lloyds Banking Group. All of these opportunities have helped me to reach the path I am on today.

Sonali Dabba

2011-2016

My name is Sonali Dabba. I was a student at Rushey Mead Academy, and finished my studies in 2016. I was a student at Gateway College, where I studied the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Applied Science and achieved 3 Distinction Stars (D*D*D*), which is equivalent to 3 A*s in A-level.  I went to university to study a MChem (Hons) Chemistry with a year in industry degree at the University of Lincoln and recently (September 2023) graduated with a 1^st Class Honors. I work as a Scientist at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

During my time at Rushey Mead Academy I really enjoyed participating in a range of extracurricular activities that were on offer, this included; completing the Duke of Edinburgh Award, being a divisional captain representative, student laboratory technician, subject librarian student support worker, attending the science school at DMU, and completing the Level 2 Sports Leaders award.

In addition, I was recognised for my hard work, dedication and commitment and achieved many awards at Rushey Mead Academy to include; Head Teacher’s and Harborough Shield and Captain awards, outstanding behavior, attitude to learning and 100% attendance awards, Lord Lieutenant’s Young Volunteer and Leicester Mercury’s Community Champion awards, for all the charity events I had organised.

Participating in these activities at Rushey Mead Academy not only helped me to gain the different student leadership badges, but also helped me to gain various skills and knowledge which supported my UCAS application a lot, when applying for colleges.

During my time as a student at university I learned a lot, from stepping out of my comfort zone, making new friends and participating in many opportunities that came my way, such as being a student content creator, UniBuddy ambassador, Chemistry course rep, STEM ambassador and volunteering for open and offer holder days.

My most favourite module at university was professional and personal development. AstraZeneca representatives came to present various challenges such as analysing a batch of Acetaminophen using HPLC, and, developing screening methods for an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). These challenges involved leading and working with a team of Chemists to delegate, plan, design and execute the project, as well as, collating data and writing up technical laboratory reports. At the end of these challenges, me and my team presented the work to a panel of AstraZeneca representatives and academics.

In the lockdown (2021), I completed a summer internship with Eurofins laboratories on Covid-19 research in Surrey. I worked in a laboratory under pressure, time restraints and as part of a large team to process high volumes of incoming SARS-CoV-2-RNA samples, responsible for checking samples for compliance, following cGMP, produced reagents according to COSHH and HSE policies. I also lead the government IPSOS MORI research project, which was a major programme for the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to track the progress and prevalence of the virus across the country.

In addition, as part of my 3^rd year dissertation I completed my lab-based research project on the amide synthesis of two members of an mGlu chemical library targeting Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s. This involved the synthesis of amides in the laboratory to create a glutamate receptor chemical library, which was characterised by in-depth NMR Spectroscopy, FTIR, UV and TLC.

Furthermore, during my final year (4th year) of university I gained a prestigious 1-year laboratory industry placement as an Analytical Chemist at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals, Barnard Castle. I performed quality control (QC) testing for analytical characterisation on biotherapeutic treatments for a range of cancers, disorders and diseases. I was also responsible for leading a development and validation project on testing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using a quantitative approach. I gained hands-on experience using state-of-the-art Chemistry instrumentation, worked in a team, communicated technical information to colleagues, analysed, documented and reviewed data to GMP standards.

I work as a Scientist at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), where I protect the citizens of the UK. My role involves delivering high end research through the use of state-of-the art Chemistry instrumentation in the laboratories, and accumulation of specialist knowledge to apply in support of customer projects. I prepare impactful reports and presentations appropriate to the audience, so that research conducted is exploited for the maximum benefit to customers. Work with hazardous materials and chemicals, operating in compliance with all appropriate safety standards and regulations. Develop and maintain professional networks including government, academia and international links. Lead research activities to develop internal and external capabilities.

There are range of skills I use in my role as a scientist at the MoD this involves, communicating in a variety of forms to technical and non-technical colleagues and customers, teamwork, networking with government, and academia across the world, managing time effectively in order to meet deliverables and project outcomes and delegating work to junior members of colleagues.

If you are a current student studying at Rushey Mead Academy, I would definitely recommend you participate in the extracurricular activities and complete the range of awards and leadership badges you can achieve. As taking part in all of this will help you to gain various skills and explore different areas which will really help with your UCAS applications, and will support you with your future career.

Tarang Jethwa
2014-2019
My academic journey started at Rushey Mead Academy, where I developed a passion for engineering through DT classes. My fondest memories include my Year 11 prom and competing at Saffron Lane in athletics. I then pursued further studies in Physics, Maths, Further Maths, and Computer Science at Loughborough College. I’m now a third-year MEng Mechanical Engineering student at The University of Sheffield, preparing for a year-long placement at RJM International in Winchester as a mechanical engineer in power plant consultancy. Rushey Mead’s supportive environment allowed me to develop a variety of skills and hobbies, and the additional maths course helped bridge the gap to A-level maths, enhancing my overall academic progression.