Catching up with our alumni: Holly’s journey after King’s InterHigh

I had just completed my GCSEs in a traditional school setting. However, I had struggled with anxiety throughout secondary education due to the poor behaviour of others in the classroom. Whilst my classes were filled with many wonderful students, the minority caused a great deal of disruption to our learning. Additionally, I'd developed some health issues, which meant that at the time, I had often been unable to attend school in Year 11 physically.

As I approached A Levels, my family and I discovered King's InterHigh. We all believed it would provide me with the space to heal and recover at a crucial point in my studies. We contacted the school and were instantly put at ease by staff who weren't judgmental and just wanted to help.

The highlight of my time at King's InterHigh was definitely my English Literature classes with Marilyn Rankin. Each lesson was filled with discussion, engaging tasks and all of the care and wisdom you could want in a teacher. I learnt so much in her lessons and will always be incredibly grateful to her for her guidance and support.

Studying online helped me prepare for university and proved to be an asset on my UCAS application, as it demonstrated my ability to work independently and manage my own time effectively, a skill that some students may struggle with. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down universities, I was not bewildered by online learning as some of my contemporaries were — in fact, I fell back into the same rhythms as I had when studying at King's InterHigh.

I am very fortunate to have been in a position where I was adaptable to different modes of learning, all thanks to my time at the school. Having the freedom and flexibility of King's InterHigh allowed me to flourish both physically and mentally, proving myself to be a determined student before attending university.

King's InterHigh enables students to prepare for the next steps at their own pace in a supportive environment, ultimately working in their favour for a brighter future. The skills I developed at King's InterHigh are still aiding me today, eight years after I left, and are helping me achieve my goals as both an academic and a creative.

Following my departure from King's InterHigh, I moved to Bangor, North Wales, and I began studying for my BA (Hons) in English Literature with Creative Writing at Bangor University. This had been my first-choice university, and with the help of King's InterHigh, I was able to achieve my dream of attending Bangor, a place that has shaped my life so much.

At Bangor, I became chair of the Writers' Guild, a society for budding writers, and was secretary of the Literary Society. I also acted as a sub-editor for the Books and Travel sections of Seren, the English-language student newspaper.

Funnily enough, I am still at Bangor University! Following graduating from my BA, I completed my MA in English Literature before taking a gap year to focus on writing and gaining qualifications as a proofreader and copy editor. In 2023, I returned to Bangor to commence my PhD in Critical and Creative Writing. I am now in my third year of my PhD, which focuses on writing and researching family sagas in historical fiction, and I am hoping to complete my doctorate by 2027.

I’m now also a published poet across several magazines and online journals, and I am in the process of having my first academic research paper published in Canada. My hopes for the future are to qualify as a Doctor of Creative Writing, to become a published novelist, and to help teach others about creative writing and the craft of storytelling.

My most important piece of advice would be to make the most of every minute of your time at King's InterHigh. I know I certainly did, and I will carry the experience of studying at the school throughout my life. Enjoy your time at King's InterHigh — savour it! Ask questions, connect with your peers, work hard and appreciate the lifestyle that studying online affords you — enjoy it. One day, you will look back and wish you were there again, learning in a fantastic and nurturing environment, and you will miss the time you spent in the classroom dearly.

It is an invaluable and endlessly rewarding experience that you are very lucky to have!