Alice Armes

My name is Alice Armes and I am a Maths student at Oxford University. My journey began at Holy Rosary Primary School, where my favourite subjects were maths and English. Here, I first developed my love of reading and learning, which have greatly contributed to my successes since. I then went on to Maricourt Catholic High School, which I loved because of the amazing friends I made, the constant support I received from my teachers, and the extracurricular activities and trips (such as London, York and Spain.) By the end of year 11, maths and Spanish were my favourite subjects by far, so I decided I wanted to do A-levels in maths, further maths and Spanish. I chose to stay on at Maricourt Sixth form, as I knew I would have excellent teachers in my chosen subjects, as well as small class sizes which would offer lots of support. By this point, I was certain I wanted to do maths at university, but I had not thought much about where I wanted to study. As a hard-working student who always strived for the best (and a big Harry Potter fan), I loved the idea of Oxford University, but never imagined someone like me could get there. Thankfully, my further maths teacher saw my potential and encouraged me to apply (shoutout to Mr Goulding). Once I started to look into it, I instantly fell in love with the city and university, and knew it was my dream. I decided then that I would do everything possible to make this dream come true. Thanks to a lot of hard work from myself, and a lot of support and encouragement from my school, I received a place at the best university in the world. My main advice for young people planning their future is dream big and don’t let self-doubt get in the way. I wasted a lot of time thinking I wasn’t good enough to be exactly where I am today. Find a goal and let it motivate you to work hard until it becomes your reality. I am so excited to start this next chapter in my life, and eternally grateful to everyone at Holy Rosary and Maricourt who have helped me over the last 18 years.