What job/study are you doing right now and tell us a little about it?
I am currently studying Law at the Univeristy of Bristol. The end goal is to qualify as a barrister.
Did you do any further/higher education?
After St Cuthbert's I went on to study History, Law and English Literature at Winstanley College. I also completed an additional A Level in Polish. I could not recommend that college more.
How did you decide on your career path and what is/was most interesting about your work?
From a young age I have never had an issue with public speaking, in fact, I liked talking so much that my parents always thought I would become a politician. At school, I always preferred linguistic subjects though I did not know what career path I wanted to go down. At the age of 14 I really considered law as a big interest of mine. It was the first career I really set my goals on and it hasn’t changed since. If anything, the ambition has only intensified. The most interesting part of what I am doing at the moment is the variety of people that I get to meet. Just as exciting are the debates and discussions that we have – law students really do have strong opinions on many matters.
Can you share a couple of fond memories of your time at St Cuthbert's?
Honestly some of my favourite memories come from the relationships that I built with my teachers. I always remember the suport I received from Mrs Evans and Mrs Jordan. Mr Neill and Mr Graves were easily the scariest teachers I knew so any words of praise really stuck with me. I loved how Miss Smith always made fun of people in our class too. I have a lot of memories with my friends too. Since St Cuthbert’s, we have all gone down our separate paths but I do stay in touch with a handful of them and we remember High School very fondly.
Did you have a favourite/influential teacher? What made them so important to you?
Mrs Evans will always be my favourite teacher that I have ever had. She was probably the most supportive and influential person during my time at school and she really made me feel like I could achieve anything. Mr Neill taught me hard work and discipline. I struggled with maths a lot and my parents always insisted that I get a tutor. I decided that I was going to work for my grades on my own, without the help of any tutors and Mr Neill often gave me the motivation I needed, sometimes it was in the form of tough love but it worked a treat. Mr McAuley was great too. Unfortunately I never had the pleasure to be taught by him however, the way he spoke about history honestly would make even the biggest history-haters love it.
What advice would you give our current students?
I know that you probably hear it a million times but cherish those years in High School, they really build your character. Make sure you hold onto the last moments before you get dropped into adult life. It's all fun and games but only at the start.
Name: Martyna Wozniak