Last week, two students had the privilege of attending the House of Lords to enjoy a breakfast meeting with Lord Dr Michael Hastings CBE. This was a prize that had been kindly donated by one of our former students, Temi Ladega. He had won it through the AMOS Bursary, a charity that works to ensure talented people of African and Caribbean descent can excel in education and beyond.
After arriving, Lord Hastings made the students, Daniel and Sam, feel at ease straight away; laughing and joking with them as he gave them a tour of the House of Lords. They all enjoyed breakfast in the House of Commons staff canteen (sausage, scrambled eggs and beans for the boys). Once they had cast their nerves aside, Daniel and Sam actively engaged with Lord Hastings, asking questions, and discussing a range of topics including politics, environmental issues and current affairs.
Mrs Lewis, Alumni Relations Manager, accompanied the students and was delighted to introduce them to her friend, Lord Graham Tope CBE (below) who is an Old Whitgiftian and advocate for educational equity. Over light refreshments in the House of Lords’ Tea Room, Lord Tope listened and offered advice to the students about their education and career plans. He was also very interested to hear about the transformational opportunities of a Trinity bursary and discuss Trinity’s 2022 Supporters’ Impact Report.
What did the students take from meeting Lord Hastings and Lord Tope? Though these two gentlemen are lords, they are also normal individuals who have great vision for the education of young people and are using their privileged positions to continue doing extraordinary things for their communities.
Sam said, “I am so grateful for the wonderful trip and feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet two inspirational people, Lord Hastings and Lord Tope. I learned so much and gained a new perspective on the world. I hope we can have another trip like this.”
Daniel said, “I had a great time and found that I really got to view politics and, more generally, life from a wiser and broader perspective thanks to Lord Hastings and Lord Tope. I also really enjoyed being in the extraordinary environment of the House of Lords. I would like to thank Mr. Ladega for kindly allowing me to take advantage of a really cool opportunity.”
Thank you to Lord Hastings and Lord Tope for hosting our students and for taking the time to show their support for Trinity School’s mission to support more students through the Trinity Bursary Fund.
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