Sumrie

I joined Christ’s Hospital as a Deputy Grecian (Year 12), so was only at the school for A levels. I was a beneficiary of the Tazaki Foundation, which provides scholarships for Japanese pupils to study in the UK. It’s a fantastic foundation, as it contributes to the good relationship between the two nations and gives young people a unique opportunity. I was one of nine who travelled from Japan to study in the UK, with four of us coming to CH.

I didn’t choose the school, although I was very happy to be here. Having not known anything about Christ’s Hospital beforehand, it was a surprise to see how big it was. Then I saw the uniform! The most pleasing surprise was the number of students with Asian and African heritage. It has an international feel, which isn’t what I expected of an English boarding school. Meeting people from many different cultural backgrounds has been good for me, as you rarely see non-Asians where I live in Japan.

Music has been a big part of my CH journey. I was second drummer in the Band and played timpani in the symphony orchestra. This has meant that I’ve experienced events such as St Matthew’s Day in London and the Children’s Parade in Brighton. During Beating Retreat in 2022, I dropped a drumming stick, but as there were seven drummers, nobody noticed. This year, there were only four of us, and I’ve been more central to each performance, so mistakes are easier to spot! I definitely spent more time preparing, especially for our visit to the Tower of London. However, my musical highlight was playing a xylophone solo to Helter Skelter at the Band Concert in March. Mr Carter gave me the freedom to play it fun and fast!

I studied maths, further maths and physics at A level. I also took economics initially but stopped to prepare properly for my Cambridge application. I have contributed several articles about maths and computer science to the Science Journal, which was re-launched last year. It felt good seeing my words in print and I hope the publication can continue.

After returning to see friends and family in Japan, Sumire will be reading maths at the University of Cambridge.