One day, this could be you
Rye St Antony has always been strongly supported by its ‘Old Girls’. The lifelong friendships they create, qualifications they achieve, and the wonderful memories they leave us with mean that they keep in contact for many many years and love to come back and see the next generation developing and learning. It is relationships like this that make Rye such a special place and really add to the wonderful community spirit that everyone that comes through our doors leaves us talking about.
Year on year our alumni go on to follow their dreams – whether that’s studying at a top university, going into something in the creative arts, or deciding to travel the world and immerse themselves in all it has to offer. We even have our very own Oscar Winner! And for each one of those girls, the Rye Community can proudly say they have fostered the unique talents and ambitions of each individual and nurtured them into resilient and curious learners ready to take on whatever next challenge they would like to.
Times can be tricky for our young people today – the social pressures, decisions they must make about next steps, as well as the pressure of success in exams just to name a few. The staff at Rye support each of our girls through these times, and offer advice and guidance when it’s needed.
A number of weeks ago, we asked some of our ‘Old Girls’ if they have any advice for our girls who are coming to the end of their time with us – the question we posed ‘what would you tell your 18 year old self, today?’. The results? Some gems of advice that we hope each of our girls will take away and live by:
Words of Wisdom from them to you…
Jenny McCallum who went into Adult Nursing – “Enjoy life and work hard”
Julie Furber who left us in 1985 and has ended up living overseas and is a Vice President said – “Consider every opportunity, be healthy and enjoy what you do and work hard at it”
Claire Hunter who left us in 1994 and is now in Aviation Medicine has said – “Grab the opportunities when they come along”
In amongst all the decisions on futures, Emily Rhead who left us in 2007 and went into midwifery said – “Not to worry about the future and enjoy the present.”
Julia Brouard who left us in 2009 and is now a Doctor in Cambridge offers wise words – “You can do it (and have fun along the way)!”
Catherine Miles, who left us in 1956 to go into teaching encourages you to follow your dreams – “Don’t be put off what you want to do by those who would deflect you from your ambitions.”
Ohemaa Abrefa who left us in 2004 and is now in managing consulting advises – “How you do anything is how you do everything – so always put your best foot forwards and don’t be complacent”
And last but not least Sarah who left us in 1977 says to you “Whatever little relevance you think it is to you today, it will be useful in the future”
There are some very clear messages for our young people of today – work hard, seize the opportunities, and have fun!!
