The Mount School community is filled with fantastic role models, and no one embodied that more last week than Sophie in College I. When word reached Sophie of a Veterinary Summer School hosted at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, her thoughts turned immediately to others who might benefit.
Sophie, who founded the School’s Medical Society (or MedSoc), said, “Mrs Nuttall (Careers Leader) and Mrs Thompson (UCAS Coordinator) are very kind to send through all materials they receive relating to medical, nursing, or veterinary studies. I saw this Summer School Veterinary course in Cambridge, and knowing that’s where Ophelia is aspiring to, I instantly thought of her.”
Sophie forwarded the letter to Ophelia in Year 11, who immediately seized the opportunity. Ophelia, who has always wanted to study Veterinary Science at university, chose her GCSE subjects around the profession. She immediately saw that the Summer School was the perfect way to get a taste of what’s to come, alongside experiencing university life.
Ophelia explained, “It’s a 3-day course and you stay overnight in St Catherine’s College. They explain to you what will happen in the first two years while you’re there and what opportunities are in the third year. You finalise what you are going to do in the fourth-to-sixth years. You also get to watch an operation, have a look at what the students do, have a tour around all of Cambridge, and you get to talk to current students and have dinner with everyone.”
Grateful for the support from the older student, Ophelia surmised, “I wouldn’t have found it without Sophie. It was really nice of her to think of me. I’m very excited to go on this course.”
The rewards go both ways. By sharing the letter with Ophelia, Sophie was able to experience the sense of accomplishment and fulfilment that comes with being a mentor. She recalled, “I forwarded it to her and the next day she came up to me and said, “Sophie, I’m going!” It’s a really nice feeling to make a difference for someone else.”
Caring Community
The Mount is known for its compassionate, caring and collaborative community. The all-girl School places an emphasis on girls getting to know each other beyond year groups and across the whole school. “Sophie’s actions are a testament to our tightknit community where younger girls look up to older girls as kind, capable leaders who are excellent role models,” said Joanne Goudriaan, Head of College.
“Girls at The Mount have endless opportunities to lead and to make a difference. You see it their academic work and also beyond the classroom with so-called ‘soft skills’ which are so important in life,” said Principal David Griffiths.
The Mount girls have the freedom to flourish in a calm and caring community, and are encouraged to make a positive contribution to our ever-changing world.