Kamsy

Kamsy is off to study Mathematics and Physics at Warwick University, having achieved A*A*AB at A level.

I’ve been at Christ’s Hospital for seven years, joining in Second Form as a boarder thanks to the bursary programme. What appealed to me from the beginning was how different it felt. There always seemed to be another opportunity waiting to be discovered.

I absolutely loved boarding in Peele. If I could do it all again, I’d choose the same house without hesitation. The houses develop their own personalities and identities, a bit like a family or brotherhood.

One of the biggest surprises has been music. I started drum lessons in Third Form with almost no previous experience, yet over time I became senior drummer, learned the piano and performed with the Big Band, Senior Jazz Band and Dixieland Band at venues across the country. It showed me just how much you can achieve at a high level if you’re prepared to give something a go.

From the outside, our marching probably just looks like walking. But for students, it’s much more than that. There’s a huge amount of teamwork involved, and everyone contributes towards a shared goal. It brings houses, bands and students together. It’s one of those traditions that creates a strong sense of community, pride and belonging.

Sport has taught me a lot about discipline and personal development because you can see the results of the work you put in.  I’ve played football, rugby, basketball and athletics. The passion of the teachers really helped with my performance.

I’ve also taken part in coding, robotics, CCF and engineering competitions. One of the highlights was helping my team finish second nationally in a major engineering competition, where we also won the award for Highest Technical Achievement.

I’ve also enjoyed taking on leadership roles, becoming house captain and later Second Monitor. I enjoy seeing projects and systems work well and I like helping things run smoothly, whether that’s organising people or solving problems.

The project I’m most excited about is still ahead. Thanks to school funding from the Lord Mayor’s 800th Anniversary Award, I’ll be researching how machine learning could improve medical diagnosis by helping identify conditions earlier and more accurately.

The project is personal. My brother lost vision in one eye after a cataract wasn’t diagnosed early enough. That experience made me realise I didn’t just want to study mathematics for a career in finance or industry. I wanted to use it to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.

Looking back, that’s probably the biggest lesson Christ’s Hospital has taught me. Never be afraid to take opportunities. Many of the things that have become important to me – whether music, coding, leadership or engineering – weren’t things I expected to do when I first arrived. But each one helped shape who I am and you never know where saying yes might lead.