Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form is thrilled for one of it’s A Level students, Kate Whittaker, who has been successful in gaining a place on the Sutton Trust’s Harvard programme!

The College is eager to help its students to make the very most of their time in education and to become the very best they can be! Students are encouraged to join in extra-curricular activities and to apply for additional activities that could better themselves or their educational experience.

The latest student supported by the College is Kate Whitaker, a former pupil of Colne Park High School. First year A level student Kate has repeatedly proved that she is dedicated to the entire College experience. She has a strong academic background, coming to the College with excellent GCSE results.

Kate has been participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award and is part of the College’s innovative Pre-Professional Journalism Programme, which allows students access to a great range of extra activities and trips in addition to their full-time sixth form studies, to help them stand out from the crowd in applications for top university placements or career opportunities! Kate has also been responsible the creation and development of “Jigsaw,” a magazine made by students, for students!

Kate recently applied for the Sutton Trust’s US Programme. There were 2000 applicants for the US Programme and after a tough application process—including creating a short video introducing herself and answering questions, eight different assignments and a 4 day selection process in London, involving debates, lectures and tests—Kate and only 174 other students from across the country were offered a place at one of the USA’s top universities, Harvard, for a week!

Samantha Barnes, the Head of Division for Science, Mathematics and Computing, said: “Kate has done extremely well to secure a place on the US Sutton Trust programme! The selection process was tough and Kate put a lot of effort into her application. She has been rewarded with this fantastic opportunity to study in the US for a week, all expenses paid. I’m delighted and excited for her!”

Kate Whitaker said, “Being accepted into the US Sutton Trust programme has opened so many doors, and inspired me to apply to US universities to complete my undergraduate degree. I feel truly honoured to be a part of such an outstanding experience!”