Saturday has arrived and it’s time for us to wave goodbye to Hugh’s first cohort of 2019. It’s been a pleasure to watch this group of students laugh, learn, and grow together in the picturesque city of Oxford. A special thanks goes out to all of the wonderful ORA staff who made the last fortnight possible!

In their classes we’ve seen these students go from strength to strength, they’ve all worked incredibly hard and we were very proud to see them graduate yesterday. There’s been a lot of practical work going on this session; our Introduction to Leadership students started the trend on the very first day with making protective egg boxes. Then our Introduction to Engineering students carried it on as they made lollipop models of the structures they designed. 

Our Film Academy and Introduction to Robotics students, meanwhile, have carried the practical work torch throughout the session, shooting films across campus and building their own robots. Across the board, our students have approached their studies with enthusiasm and dedication, and everyone will be leaving with a wealth of new information.

Outside of their classes, our students have shone in a myriad of other ways. From proving their mettle in a close-run scavenger hunt to amazing us all with their artistic skills, it’s been a great session. It’s been wonderful to see the students bonding as they made friendship bracelets and flower crowns for each other, and to see the same group returning to the park to play football together. 

The highlight of all the events was the disco in the main hall where students danced the night away with all of the friends they’d made over the last week. Some really strong bonds have been made between our students this session, and we really hope they’ll all keep in touch!

Our students have also been able to learn from the knowledge and experience of a host of guest speakers. From Alex Holmes’ inspiring and interactive talk on bullying to Vicky Kalogeiton’s fascinating speech on technology and the future, our students have benefited from a wealth of expert knowledge. 

In their masterclasses, the students got to take on the role of a forensics investigator and sharpen their deduction skills, or take an in-depth dive into sales and marketing or architecture. It’s safe to say that everything they learned will stick with them long after the course has ended.

On their fantastic excursions, our students have really made the most of the rich culture around them. Whether out around the city trying their hand at punting, visiting Oxford Castle, and going on spooky ghost tours, or heading off to London to see the National Gallery and Houses of Parliament, our students have really embraced the opportunities being in a foreign country offers. 

The two weeks were capped off by a wonderful graduation ceremony where the students got their beautiful certificates. It was followed by a delicious meal and the chance to dance the night away. What a perfect end to a fantastic two weeks.

We just want to say a final big well done to every student who attended the last session! We wish all of them the very best of luck in their bright futures and hope to see some of them again next year!