We are thrilled to announce that Jenna (Year 11) has been awarded the prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship! This highly competitive scholarship, granted to only a select number of students across the UK each year, recognises outstanding potential in engineering, technology, and design. Jenna follows in the footsteps of Camilla, who received the scholarship last year (you can read about her journey here). Both students have demonstrated dedication, creativity, and technical skill to achieve this incredible milestone.
The Arkwright Scholarship is one of the UK’s most esteemed awards for young engineers, providing recipients with financial support, mentorship from industry professionals, and exclusive opportunities such as networking events and university workshops. The selection process is rigorous, involving a detailed application, an engineering aptitude exam, and an online interview with engineering professionals from a top university or engineering institution. Sponsored by leading engineering companies, universities, and professional bodies, the scholarship serves as a remarkable stepping stone for students pursuing careers in STEM.
Our Head of Computer Science, Mr. Connor Kelly, shared his excitement about Jenna’s achievement: 'It’s fantastic news that Jenna has been awarded the Arkwright Scholarship! Her dedication and talent truly shine through, particularly in the escape room-style game she spent countless hours programming. Her project was incredibly well thought out, featuring creative puzzles and problem-solving elements that showcased her technical ability and ingenuity.
It’s wonderful to see her hard work and passion recognised in such a prestigious way. I know Jenna plans to study Computer Science at A-Level in our Sixth Form, and with her enthusiasm and capability, I have no doubt she will excel in the course and beyond.'
Below, you can read an interview with Jenna to learn more about her scholarship journey!
How did you develop your love for Computer Science?
I suppose my love for computer science initially came from my passion for Maths. I have always enjoyed solving problems and I like the challenge of finding the right answer to a difficult question. When coding on Scratch in my first few years of the Junior School, I found that this translated really well to coding – there are many ways to approach a computer program, however I always challenged myself to find the most efficient way, or the way that was the easiest for the user. This mindset has helped me develop more complex programs using the programming language Python, as part of my Computer Science GCSE (which I highly recommend to anyone who is considering their subject options!). As my knowledge of the programming language has increased, so has my love for using it to create functioning programs that help the user.
Tell us a bit about your project — what did you create or work on that impressed the judges?
For my project, I coded an escape room game in the programming language Python. I thought this would be a good way to showcase what I could do, as I built each of the stages of the escape room using a different coding technique, and so was able to show a range of skills which I had learned from Computer Science lessons in school. I also did some external online courses to supplement this learning. This project was the first time that I had put all these skills together into a long program – it was time-consuming and challenging to do, but ultimately it was rewarding when the program worked successfully.
The Arkwright Scholarship sounds amazing! What part of it are you most excited about?
For me, I think the part that I am most excited about are the networking events where I will have the chance to meet new people who have the same interests as me. Mentoring and the possibility of work experience are also two of the main reasons why I initially wanted to apply for the scholarship. Mentoring will help guide me in searching out ways to develop my skill set, and also in my university applications. I am particularly excited at the chance of work experience as it will be a great opportunity for me to build connections with companies and experience what working in the software engineering industry will be like. This will be fascinating and help me to further understand what area of engineering I would most enjoy being part of, giving me a much clearer idea of the career pathway I want to pursue.
The selection process sounds difficult — what was the toughest part for you?
The selection process has several stages – first, I had to submit an application form, which detailed my chosen aspect of engineering, information about myself, and why I am interested in engineering. I also had to include details about an engineering project that I had undertaken, what I initially aimed to achieve, and how my project fulfilled these aims. Next, I had an online exam, which tested my mathematical skills and knowledge of engineering principles. From there, I was lucky enough to get through to the interview round, after which the scholars were selected. Looking back, I would say that the interview was the most challenging part of the process for me. It was conducted online, with two interviewers who had a background in engineering, and lasted around 40 minutes. I needed to prepare and deliver a detailed presentation that covered my project, my enthusiasm for engineering, and my wider skills and experiences. This was followed by some intense questioning from the interviewers. This type of interview was very different from anything I have done before, and this experience will help me prepare for future interviews, such as when I apply for university.
If you could work in any field of engineering, what would it be?
That is a really hard question to answer! At the moment, I am fascinated by cyber security, and developing software and programs that help keep systems, and the data within them, more secure. In reality, there are so many fields that engineering can take you in, and really I’m still exploring what will be the right field for me. The scholarship will be amazingly beneficial in helping me discover this. However, even before I knew I had been successful in achieving the award, I felt I had learned a lot, simply through the process of applying. Because of this, I would very much encourage other students to apply for the scholarship if they have an enthusiasm for any type of engineering.
To find out more about our opportunities visit the Sixth Form website.
