On Thursday 3rd October, Oxford High School welcomed over 80 families to a Reception in the Main Hall, in celebration of our student Academic Award Holders and Academic Scholars.
It was a relaxed event, allowing families to connect and celebrate the achievements of the scholars together over a glass of bubbly and canapés. There were displays of the mature work and developmental thoughts of our year 13 scholars on the OWLS (Oxford and Wimbledon Scholars) Programme, and showcases featuring students’ linguistic interpretations of poetry from the anthology they devised during a recent English residential trip. Work from the Sixth Form students’ Extended Research Projects demonstrated skill in independent thinking, and there was a hands-on experience with guests taking control of a robot built by last year’s National Champion finalists of the FIRST Tech Challenge UK, a robotics competition designed to inspire young people to engage in STEM fields.
A highlight of the evening was the keynote address delivered by Dr Milette Gillow (OHS Governor and Alumnae) who shared personal insights on the impact of education on her career and life path (Milette holds an PhD in Pure Maths and an MA in Opera Performance, no less!). Dr Gillow ended with some take-away points which we have chosen to share below, as we felt they are relevant to all of our students, not just scholars, since they emphasise the importance of commitment to learning and the value of curiosity.
This was an inaugural event in celebration of our scholars, which we hope is the start of more to come in nurturing the next generation of forward-thinkers and female leaders in our society.
Key takeaways from Dr Gillow’s speech:
“Your passion may be something you haven’t tried yet, or it may be something that’s always been in the background, but that you suddenly realise you can’t live without. Your passions may change over time, or you may have many, each one coming to the forefront at a different period in your life. Your passions are not the things other people think you’re good at; they’re not the things you want others to think you’re good at; and they’re not the things you like the idea of being good at.
I’m going to tell you a secret: if you love something, and you do it every day, you become very good, very quickly. Many people won’t even start on a new hobby or skill because they’re worried they haven’t had as long to get good at it as others. I can tell you from experience that someone can have started much younger than you, yet you can overtake them if you are willing to put in the work. It’s a cliché, but there really is no such thing as “too old”.
My overarching piece of advice is to embrace being a beginner at something, and learn to love being the worst person in the class or the least qualified person in the room. You can only learn when you really have the freedom to make mistakes. Getting good at something isn’t a glamorous process – in fact, it’s quite an ugly process of repeatedly failing until you get better. You won’t notice yourself improving, although you’ll probably notice everyone else around you mysteriously getting worse. There’s a saying I’ve always loved that goes “in life, you either win or you learn”. If you love to learn, then you’re winning either way.”