My origins at IBSB go further back than my simple tenure herewith. You can argue it began all the way back during my time spent at ACORNS British nursery; had it not been for said fact, there would have been nobody to suggest the next stepping stone in my private education, which of course ended up being IBSB. My journey at IBSB proper begins at just the humble age of 7, way back in 2009. And while I certainly did mature into a changed person, the fact remains that at the core, I still exhibit many of the same characteristics I did 12 years ago, save of course for punctuality, which took a nose-dive, so I am told. Perhaps what most propelled change in me was the spark which Ms Orla saw back in Year 5: an affinity of orating. From there, all it took was being introduced to debating by Mr Peet and everything started to fall into place: I had set myself on a path to becoming a brilliant politi-err, I mean, well, it isn’t decided yet. And thus, I stand before you a graduate of IBSB, but above all, a member and participant of the worldwide success that is the IBSB debating project, spearheaded by Mr Peet.

Well, it is certainly no easy matter to comment on where I see myself post-graduation. I will most definitely keep my options open to the diverse array of things which centre around statecraft and policy, but perhaps do exclude that which is too immersed in paperwork – I’ll let the lawyers tackle that front.

If IBSB taught me anything, it is that change is imperative to an effective functioning of the body and mind, which is to say that the person I may be today may not reflect that which I may be tomorrow. As Harold Wilson would go on to say, ‘He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery’, and it is this sustaining of continued evolution and progress which best represents the conclusion of my experiences at IBSB. Of course, I’d like to make it tacitly clear that progress cannot be fostered without proper groundwork, much like the solid foundation on which a house in erected, and if we are to aim for great strides in our day and age, we must not ever lose sight of where we began, and the principles by which we vehemently stand, otherwise we risk doing nothing more than replacing one inconvenient set of values with another, more comforting batch, only to repeat the very procedure in due circumstance.

Without a doubt the memory which stands most vividly in my mind is my experience in the realm of debating. Not only did debating open many a door to a different world, but a clarity of mind and thought which are inextricably matured under great pressure and the intellectual prowess from both sides of the table, much like the great Hephaestus forged his many weapons in his smouldering furnace. The highs, the lows, the laughing, and at times the grieving – they were all part of what blew some much-needed fresh air into my doings at school.

I would certainly missrepresent if I didn’t acknowledge that in one way or another, each and every teacher has helped me in forging the path that is my future. However, I couldn’t possibly miss out on a select few teachers, who have gone that much more the extra mile in seeing this through: Mr Peet, Mr Shaikh, Mr Jennings, Ms Gourley, Mr Pantella, Mr Tansley, Ms Iliescu, Mr Hudson and Mr Nastase. What they all championed was their ability to stir within me curiosity, all while reserving the tact to understand my functioning (which was certainly no easy feat back then, mind you), channelling it into a winning set of habits and skills, all merits which I am profoundly grateful for.

Well, I would most definitely be bluffing if I didn’t mention the emphasis I Well, I would most definitely be bluffing if I didn’t mention the emphasis I place on a set of skills as opposed to a singular such asset. The set of skills in question is without a doubt a refinement of human understanding, seeing things through as objective a lens as possible, seeking out harmony in the eternal clash between emotion and rationality, the ability to see through impression and falsity, to let go of one’s strife, to do that which is right even though it may go against one’s apparent interests.

At AS, I followed through with Maths, Physics, English Literature, and History, dropping Maths as I got to my final year. I am now studying History at UCL.

University College London (UCL); BA in History

As of this exact moment, which I assume the question specifically asks of me, I am preparing for my forthcoming departure to London, familiarising myself with it, and naturally writing this piece up, keystroke by keystroke, row by row. On a more general note, I am taking in all that I am surrounded by at this paramount moment of life, reaping the benefits of the past, for how long I still may, and simultaneously looking change straight in the eye, for past the anxiety lays the cornerstone to continued development.