The sky’s the limit for high-flying Evelyn Grace Academy student Tiana Thompson, who is hoping her GCSEs will start her on a path to studying aeronautical engineering at university. Tiana earned As in maths, history and English and an A* in art and design.
Tiana says: “When I was younger, I travelled around a lot with my family, so I’ve always been fascinated by planes and how they work. When I fly now, I love sitting near the wings to watch the hydraulic equipment.
“I’d love to study aeronautical engineering at Cambridge or Imperial – they’re both amazing universities and they’ll help me achieve the very best.”
Tiana says that Evelyn Grace Academy has been integral in helping her achieve her goals: “The teachers here absolutely want the best for each of us, they care and they work hard to make sure we realise our potential.”
Still, it wasn’t just the academic life of the school that Tiana will take away: “The opportunities here have been absolutely amazing. We’ve gone to theatres to see the plays we were studying performed and I went to a university-level maths seminar, which was great, because I love maths.
“We did a project with the Jamaican National Bank capturing local perspectives in Brixton on camera and in the end, our work was displayed in the new Birmingham library.”
Tiana says that she’s hoping that her GCSEs will not only help her achieve her goals, but also inspire others: “I think people see me as a role model: I’ve been really involved in the life of the school and I’ve got family members who are coming up to their GCSEs as well, so I want to show them what’s possible.
She plans to stay at EGA for her A level studies.
“My time at EGA has been an amazing journey and a great experience.”