The Ambassador of the United States of America Matthew Barzun hosts a Reception in honour of the Sutton Trust U.S. Program. Winfield House. London. Thursday July 9 2014 Photo: ©Zute Lightfoot

James Turner on the success of the latest group of Sutton Trust US students 

Few things are as likely to make you feel like an under-achiever as speaking to a young person who has just won a place at an Ivy League university on the basis of brilliant academic scores and an array of extra-curricular achievements. Multiply that inadequacy by ten when you speak to 58 such superstars in one evening. And multiply by 100 when you recognise that all these prodigies are from very ordinary backgrounds – not born with a silver spoon or educated at top fee-paying schools, but from regular state schools and low and middle income homes.

The Ambassador of the United States of America Matthew Barzun hosts a Reception in honour of the Sutton Trust U.S. Program. Winfield House. London. Thursday July 9 2014 Photo: ©Zute Lightfoot

But my feelings of inadequacy pale into nothing compared to the pride at seeing the achievements of the latest group of Sutton Trust US students celebrated at a reception hosted by the US Ambassador at Winfield House yesterday evening.

‎58 bright state school students have this year won places at prestigious US universities through the programme, run in partnership with the US-UK Fulbright Commission. Of those, three-quarters are from families with incomes under £25k a year and half have claimed free school meals or educational maintenance allowance. Across their four years of study, the students will receive over $14m of financial support from US institutions with many of them graduating debt-free.

The reception was a chance to celebrate the students’ achievements with their parents and carers, friends and supporters of the Trust, as well as all the staff, volunteers and mentors who make the programme the success it is.

It has been quite a journey for the young people.  Last summer, all 58 students participated in the Sutton Trust’s US Summer School at either the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),Yale University, or Harvard University. They also benefited from residential activities here in the UK and received an intensive programme of support, including help with applications, college choices and admissions tests.

The Ambassador of the United States of America Matthew Barzun hosts a Reception in honour of the Sutton Trust U.S. Program. Winfield House. London. Thursday July 9 2014 Photo: ©Zute Lightfoot

The students will be enrolling at 39 different colleges in 18 states; 19 will be attending an Ivy League Institution. Seven students received highly-competitive and prestigious merit scholarships including the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill and the Woodruff Scholarship at Emory University.

So there was much to celebrate in the summer sunshine‎ of Winfield House’s gardens.   Parents spoke about how proud they were of their sons and daughters – but also how they’d miss them when they made their journey across the Atlantic in a few short weeks to start their freshmen years.   The young people talked about how the long hard slog of the last year (undertaking US admissions tests and completing bespoke application forms, as well as studying for A levels and preparing for UCAS) was worth it as they looked forward to four exciting years in the US and, in most cases, very little graduate debt.

For me, as well as pride in the students’ achievements, the overwhelming feeling I had during the evening was gratitude. Having been involved in setting up the programme back in 2011, I know how much work goes into each of these individual success stories.  The Fulbright team have been absolutely outstanding – nothing would have been achieved without their expertise and exceptional organisational skills. We’ve tapped into the best in the business in terms of application and test support – the brilliant teams at Edvice and CATES, as well as many volunteers who’ve worked for nothing as mentors, speakers and application readers.  We’ve had the support of the US Embassy, the British Consulates in New York and Boston, and are now lucky enough to have the financial backing of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, plus others to sustain and develop the programme. It is quite a line up.

The Ambassador of the United States of America Matthew Barzun hosts a Reception in honour of the Sutton Trust U.S. Program. Winfield House. London. Thursday July 9 2014 Photo: ©Zute Lightfoot

When we flew that first group of students to Boston in July 2012 we had no idea whether the model would work‎.  Would any apply? Would any get in?  But looking at the latest data – and hearing stories of young people from Feltham going to Harvard, and from a Welsh comprehensive making the trip to Yale‎ – I know it has. Almost 150 Sutton Trust students are now studying in the US because of the programme.

As I leave the Trust after 11 years and say goodbye to the programme (at least in my current role) I have only the highest regard for all of those students and‎ the outstanding people that have made it happen.

 

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