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Article August 24, 2023

Celebrating GCSE Results 2023: Maria

By King's InterHigh

Celebrating an exceptional set of GCSE results – including 3 grade 9s in English Literature, English Language and History – Maria looks forward to joining King's InterHigh's second ever cohort of online IB Diploma Programme students this September. Read more about Maria's journey with online learning and her aspirations for the future.

"Having the opportunity to learn a variety of different subjects from wonderful teachers has allowed me to, in turn, learn more about myself and where my passions lie."

Maria

King's InterHigh student

 Why did you join King’s InterHigh, and what has your learning journey with us meant to you? 

I joined King’s InterHigh during the pandemic because I wanted to be able to have a fulfilled schooling experience when that wasn’t being provided as effectively in the online structure of my previous school. My learning journey at King’s InterHigh has allowed me to learn about growth and failure, the school has challenged me in ways that I wasn’t before and has also helped me grow in character, for example with cycle tests and mocks. Failure wasn’t something that I really valued before coming to King’s InterHigh but now I understand how important it is to learn and understand things better, due to help from my incredible teachers.

 What's something you've gained from King's InterHigh that's really helped you personally?

Something that King’s InterHigh has helped me with personally would have to be my sense of self. Having the opportunity to learn a variety of different subjects from wonderful teachers has allowed me to, in turn, learn more about myself and where my passions lie. I have also gained the ability to learn from my mistakes and grow.

 Is there something you’ve learned from King’s InterHigh that’s special to online learning or your situation? 

Online learning has introduced me to the different ways that learning can take place. In a traditional school you are usually taught that there is a strict way of learning a certain subject, but the online learning experience has taught me that everyone learns in a different way. I have had the opportunity to learn things in classes that I could then expand upon with further learning materials outside of class or with a teacher’s help.

 Has studying online allowed you to explore new interests? 

It definitely has, studying online has allowed me to explore passion projects and hobbies that I barely had time to do before. In a traditional school I used to come home exhausted and only ended up working on my homework but now with the online experience I can end up reading a whole book, completing a painting, and writing a short story as well as doing my classes. The online experience has helped me understand who I am as person, even if that part isn’t totally figured out, as well as getting to experience a variety of different activities.

 What are your dreams for the future? 

Next year I’ll be doing the IB at King’s InterHigh, which I am very excited about but after that my future isn’t a clear-cut plan. I want to go to university and get to study as many things as possible, with a focus on psychology and neurology, even if that may change soon. I also want to travel and get to live in incredible places whilst meeting new and interesting people. I want to experience the world as much as possible while doing the things I love to do.

By King's InterHigh

King's InterHigh is an author for King's Interhigh.