Alumni Page

Oakes College Cambridge > Student Life > Alumni Page

We are incredibly proud of all our students, whether they’ve taken on an Apprenticeship, furthered their studies at University, travelled the world or even started their own business. This page will feature alumni members of Oakes each term and keep you in the know about their journey.

Hannah Fox – A Level Maths, Chemistry and Psychology

What and when did you study at Oakes?

I studied Maths, Chemistry and Psychology A level and completed them in the summer of 2018.

What did you take away from your experience here?

I learnt that it’s a good to be your own person and not to follow others around you. I became more open to different opportunities given to me and became a strong independent learner.

How has studying here helped you?

Studying at The Oakes made me more independent and confident in myself. It has also given me a better work ethic, which I can use in any environment. I feel so much more confident and happy in my current position thanks to the skills I learnt at college!

What are you up to now?

I have an accountancy apprenticeship with Price Bailey, I am training to become a qualified tax accountant. I work 9am-5:30pm in the office. My weekly routine is never the same, as some days I can be out of the office at meetings or even in offices in different parts of the country. I do lots of client work, talking to clients on the phone and occasionally going to client meetings.

What do you enjoy most about it?

I enjoy working with the people on my team, managing my work load and travelling to meetings. I like the challenge of making sure that I meet deadlines and learning new things every day.

How has your experience at the Oakes helped you in adult life?

The Oakes has helped me in many ways, making me more independent, confident and the ability to be proud of what I have achieved. The support I received from the all the staff at the Oakes was incredible and studying here was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Chessie Sharman – Digital Media CTEC 2016-2018

What I enjoyed with the course:
Great teachers, they really rounded my knowledge in the industry and prepared me for university well, the practices we use in university link back to the units and skills we got taught at CTEC level. I also loved the creativity of the course and learning about a variety of media products

What you achieved:
I achieved D*D*D* (the equivalent of 3 A stars!). I was shocked, but I did work really hard. Especially on improving my coursework and trying to make it as professional looking as possible. It is now a great showreel of the different media products I can create!

What it’s helped me do now:
The course helped me get into university. It also helped with my team building skills that I use regularly at Uni now and be more prepared in a practical sense than maybe other students are. I guess that is because they didn’t get the opportunity to develop skills taking the Alevel course rather than the great help we got at Oakes.