Society talks from Trinity alumni

The start of the term has been a whirlwind, with a steady stream of our young alumni returning to Trinity to give talks to our lunchtime societies. This provides an opportunity for them to impart their knowledge, share advice with current students, and strengthen their connection to the school.

The lunchtime ‘super-curricular’ societies challenge students to think beyond the curriculum and discuss new ideas. This helps them prepare for university applications, interviews and future study. Plus, with most of our alumni currently at university, students learn about university-level topics and life at university, which can inspire them to consider new academic and career possibilities.   

Highlights of this term’s talks include:

Computer Science Club 

Lucas Rebato (Class of 2023) opened the term with an energetic talk to our Computer Science students about his PWC Flying Start degree apprenticeship in Computer Science at the University of Birmingham. 

George Ogden (Class of 2022), now studying Computer Science at Cambridge, returned alongside his supervisor, Shaun, to discuss his summer research project. They delved into the technical aspects of his research, providing a glimpse into the work being done at Cambridge. 

Lower Sixth student Oscar said, “I was really excited to learn from students who have been successful since leaving school, who completed their A Levels, and will also be pursuing careers in an area I am interested in. I also knew both alumni when they were in school, so it was awesome to see them again! I found Lucas’s talk incredibly valuable, as it provided an insight into what life was really like as a degree apprentice. No amount of research gives you a feel for the workload and the lifestyle so it was great to hear Lucas talk about it honestly. With George, I was encouraged to see that you can make money using skills in technology, whilst still being in university. I think I am even more intrigued by degree apprenticeships than I was before, and I see myself applying for (at least) one in a year’s time.” 

Physics Society 

Zahra D’Souza (Class of 2021), who is studying Engineering at Warwick and currently undertaking a placement year at UBS, gave a talk on PID controllers – a key topic for anyone pursuing Engineering. Zahra’s presentation gave our students a valuable preview of this area of study. 

Mahdeia Hidary (Class of 2022), studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge, spent part of her summer on a university field trip to Spain. She delivered an insightful talk on ‘Why Geological Maps are Important,’ bringing along geological specimens to enhance our students’ understanding. 

Upper Sixth student Tara said, “It was interesting to hear from Mahdeia about studying Earth Sciences at Cambridge, as it’s a discipline few students were aware of but by the end were thoroughly inspired to learn more! Zahra explored life studying engineering at Warwick, a popular prospective career path. Her transition into a finance placement year was good evidence of the breadth of opportunities an engineering degree can provide.” 

 Architecture Society 

Joshua Moore Prempeh (Class of 2021) recently graduated from Cambridge and returned to give a thought-provoking talk entitled ‘Why Optimism is Essential to Architecture.’ He engaged the students in a discussion, citing examples of influential architects he admires and highlighting the importance of a positive outlook in the field. 

Ananya, an Uper Sixth student, said, “Joshua’s talk on optimism within architecture was very interesting. The focus on ‘half houses’ – social housing built as the owners could only afford ‘half a house’ – and its ability to grant the residents agency to decide what to do with the rest of the house, I especially liked, as Joshua highlighted this as a new and promising future for social housing. He also provided valuable insight into life at Cambridge and his projects, which cemented my decision to study architecture at university.”  

Chemistry Society 

Aman de Silva (Class of 2022), now studying Chemistry at Oxford, gave an engaging and enjoyable talk to ChemSoc on ‘Lyotropic Liquid Crystals for Mesoporous Gel Synthesis.’ Having served as ChemSoc President during his time at Trinity, Aman was particularly excited to return – this time, as a speaker. 

ThinkSoc 

It was wonderful to welcome Henry Bishop (Class of 2022) back with us and heartening to see so many Lower and Upper Sixth student discussing something well beyond the remit of their A Level course. Henry is currently studying Philosophy and Theology at Oxford and he gave a lively and engaging talk to ThinkSoc on ‘God Died? Luther’s take on the communication of idioms’. Henry’s focus on language, having spent a semester learning church Latin, was an excellent introduction to the current Philosophy topic of Religious Language and got everyone’s minds wandering over the nature of language used to discuss the nature of God. 

Upper Sixth student Mia sad, “It was really exciting to have the opportunity to engage with university level RS and Philosophy content, which challenged my current knowledge and encouraged me to think beyond the confines of the syllabus. I enjoyed being able to make synoptic links between Church doctrine, Lutheran theology and philosophical ideas. What I was particularly struck by, is the overwhelming subjectivity of theological sources, even those accepted by the various Christian Churches. For example, though Martin Luther was considered a heretic by the Catholic Church, Henry suggested that many of Luther’s doctrines are arguably not dissimilar from the Catholic Church’s accepted beliefs.

“Given that we are currently studying Religious Language in Philosophy, learning about the language used to describe the relationship between Jesus, humanity and divinity was also fascinating. Henry emphasised the importance of how variations in Theological thought have impacted the way that practicing Christians engage with, think about and put their faith into action. An important example of this is the way that the language used when discussing the relationship between Jesus, humanity and divinity, influences how different denominations practice the Eucharist.”

Upper Sixth student Caitlin agreed, “I found the talk very engaging, particularly how it interacted with theology and Luther’s ideas of faith. Henry encouraged audience participation for opinion-led activities that allowed us to discover the subjectivity in discussion on religious language regarding Christ, especially the controversies founded through the Council of Chalcedon. Discovering Luther’s views on the doctrine of the Eucharist helped me to understand the concept of the paradoxical unity of the divine and human – that we can only join these attributes together through Christ. 

“This talk made me confident in my decision to pursue Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University. It inspired me to look further into the course content, some of which was discussed in this talk. Henry also referenced different scholars, such as Huldrych Zwingli, whose ideas I can use to evaluate and strengthen my arguments in essays in the future.” 

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These talks have provided an invaluable opportunity for our current students to connect with Trinity alumni, hear about university-level studies, and be inspired by the pathways others have taken. We are grateful to our alumni for their continued support and contribution to the Trinity community.