"Mulberry Academy Shoreditch truly offers a fantastic world of opportunities"

“If it wasn’t for Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, I wouldn’t be going to university.”

“My head of year was so supportive and helpful, especially during stressful times.”

Alumni

We are extremely proud of our alumni students. Each year, an astounding proportion of our Year 13 students secure their places at top universities around the country and even abroad, including institutions within the prestigious Russell Group organisation. Amongst these are aspiring doctors, lawyers, dentists and engineers, and we are thrilled to see our students choosing career paths which so strongly reflect the values of good citizenship we aim to instil.

As well as those who choose to further their studies at university, we are equally proud of those who choose other directions, such as apprenticeship schemes or entering straight into the workplace. Many of our students have gone on to build fantastic and rewarding careers in sectors such as business, retail, management and hospitality. No matter which direction they have taken, Mulberry Academy Shoreditch alumni have one thing in common; the ability to make decisions for themselves. Decisions based on what is right for them, using the skills they have developed throughout their education to become proud and successful citizens in the 21st century.

We are pleased to be able to share with you the student profiles below, which offer an insight into what it means to belong to the Mulberry Academy Shoreditch Sixth Form alumni.

Abdullahi Yussuf

2018 Leaver

After MAS, I went on to study at university and now I’m in my 2nd year at SOAS University of London studying BA Social Anthropology.
The thing I loved most about MAS was the amount of support the academy provided for me during my time there and for that I’m always going to be grateful. Also, MAS is one of the main factors that got me to where I am today.
Something I’m proud of achieving since I left school is having the opportunity to be a beacon of hope for young people as I’m a member of Hackney Youth Parliament and current Young Speaker of Hackney.
My advice to MAS Students is always work hard no matter the obstacles that come your way because there are going to be moments where you’re going to want to give up but when you’re experiencing these moments, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.

Elijah Marshall

I left Mulberry Academy Shoreditch in 2018 and went onto studying Advertising and Digital Marketing communications at the University of Greenwich. I’m in my final year about to graduate in the process of writing my dissertation on the impact of diversity and inclusion in sports advertisements.
The thing I loved most about Mulberry Academy Shoreditch was the drive and belief teachers installed into me, one of the benefits of staying on at MSA is the location of the city. Providing a multitude of work experiences in various industries. My advice to students is to look at various opportunities in areas you may be keen to work in after Sixth Form, gain work experience as this will help you make future decisions of what you want to do and keep a good relationship with teachers as they will help you get onboard. You will face many obstacles and make many mistakes, but learn quickly from them so those mistakes don’t impact you for the long term, good luck to you all!

Megan Crudgington

2017 Leaver

After MAS, I went on to study criminology at the University of Westminster.

Now I have just finished my final year of University.

The thing I loved most about MAS was that it encouraged me to be my best self, I never imagined I’d actually go to University.

Something I’m proud of achieving since I left school is spending 10 weeks inside HMP Pentonville on a volunteering placement with my Uni, helping the prisoners get an education.

My advice to MAS students is to work hard and believe in yourself, try not to stress because things fall into place.

Mithila Sharmin A*A*AA

Medicine at University College London

How are you finding the university experience so far?

I’m finding the course really interesting and it’s looking like what I want to do, so I’m really happy with my choice. It’s a lot of hard work as the lecturers speak fast and if you don’t understand you fall behind and you have to recap the whole thing. There is a lot of independent study on top of lectures so you have to be responsible and keep everything organised. I joined a few societies and I met many people and made new friends, so it’s going well.

How do you think life at Sixth Form prepared you?

The teaching was great. It gave me the foundations that I needed for my degree. Also we had a certain amount of independence that prepared us for university.

What do you miss about Sixth Form?

The environment where I knew everyone. At uni we have a really big year group and it’s full of new people and sometimes you can get a bit lost. Also I quite miss all the teachers and friends as we were a really close year group.

If you could give any advice to current Sixth Formers who are preparing for university, what would it be?

Study hard and focus to get the grades you need because you will definitely smile on results day!

Ciaran Constable A*AAB

Natural Sciences at Cambridge University

How are you finding Cambridge University?

First things first, university life is hectic. There are so many things here to do, and even more things you feel you’re not able to do, but still can have a crack at anyway, so you get used to filling all the hours of the day, especially when lectures are even on Saturdays!

How do you think life at Sixth Form prepared you?

It’s pretty much expected to have a hardworking attitude here, but the most important thing I’ve learnt at Sixth Form is the ability to pace yourself and know when you’ve reached your limit.

What do you miss most about Sixth Form?

It’s very easy to get lost in the sea of students here, so I do miss the smaller network of students in Sixth Form. At least in Sixth Form you don’t have to introduce yourself to someone a month after your first day!

If you could give any advice to current Sixth Form students who are preparing for university, what would it be?

The most important advice to give is to know all of the good in your life happens because you deserve it and you make it happen, so don’t be afraid to reach as far as you desire. That, and washing machines are expensive!

Mohammed Islam

2016 leaver

My name is Mohammed Islam, I left Mulberry Academy Shoreditch in 2016 and went on to University College London (UCL) to study Medical Sciences and Engineering. Now I am about to start an MPhil in Translational Biomedical Research in the University of Cambridge.

The thing I loved most about MAS was the help and encouragement from all the teachers. One of the advantages of staying at MAS for Sixth Form is that teachers know you personally and know your ability and potential. Their support and encouragement takes you a lot further. My advice to MAS students is to pursue subjects or careers you enjoy and set interim goals which make achieving a larger goal easier. Setting multiple smaller targets on a weekly basis to achieve something much larger is key. This not only keeps you focused on and enjoying the present but also aware of and determined in achieving the larger target. Good luck to you all!

Humaira Hoque AAA

Studying Pharmacy at University College London

How are you finding UCL?

University is great! Seeing so many new faces from all over the world is a wonderful experience. I now have much more freedom in terms of what I do with my spare time and I absolutely love it! Pharmacy is a great course, you learn the theory and you get to use it in practice to help people and to me that’s really important.

How do you think life at Sixth Form prepared you?

When I was in Sixth Form, I spent most of my free lessons studying and doing exam questions. I believe this was really useful because I trained myself to become more active with my studies and I’ve been doing the same now that I am at university.

Mahmadul Hoque

School Leavers Programme KPMG

Taking a different route than university, before I started at KPMG I thought I had made the wrong choice. However, after working here for a few months I realised I made one of the best decisions in my life. Since I’ve started I have been studying AAT and been working in Banking Audit. The best thing about it is that the work I do links in with the studying I do so I get the best of both. Biggest challenge is balancing work life and studying however I got good practice with this during the Sixth Form. For the future, I hope to get qualified and build up my experience in accounting and progress within the firm both professionally and personally.

Abdul Fahim

Mechanical Engineering at City University London

The academy always told me, “You have to do something that you love in order to enjoy it.” As a Mechanical Engineering student at City University London, I finally understand it, because I love what I do and that helps me to keep going and keep working hard even at difficult times. As I face my first year exams, I have enjoyed learning many interesting and different things, but it is because of my love of the subject that I am able to invest all my energies in understanding every facet.

The best advice I would give to students is do what you love. If you are still in secondary school then start thinking about what you really like to study and research those areas to get a feel for what it involves. And if you are at the stage where you have to make the decision on what course to apply to and you are not sure then don’t rush in and make a quick decision. You might regret it later, I know a few people who have made that mistake. Think about what subjects you are doing now and look into courses related to them and look into what sort of jobs you can get into after doing that course.

The academy also taught me to be independent, I’ll always be grateful for that because that’s what I need every day of my university life now. I still have a long way to go but all these experiences and lessons have made my path simple and my goals easier to reach. Try to be independent; don’t always ask for help without trying and researching because when you get to university you won’t have someone there to check your work and help you with every question.

Arif Uddin

Management at Warwick Business School

As a student at the Warwick Business School studying management since September 2016, I have realised that my success here is because of my intrinsic motivation driven by the fact that I am studying what I enjoy.

Sixth Form provided me with a huge amount of support and advice throughout the UCAS process; this is complicated when you are also really busy with your studies, so having time to make the right decisions is not easy. They provided me with realistic deadlines and aims throughout the whole UCAS application.

One word of advice I would give to students, is that universities are brands; buying into a top brand is hard work so don’t be complacent in your studies, look at your time at university as an investment for your future.

Get involved, make a difference

Were you a student at Mulberry Academy Shoreditch (or a student at the same school in Gosset Street under a former name)?

Would you like to be part of our alumni community?

As part of the MAS alumni you could offer invaluable support in a range of ways, for example as career and educational role models, guest lecturers, mentors, events volunteers, work experience providers or just a friend of the Academy.

If you are interested in joining our alumni community, please fill out this form.

I would like to join the Mulberry Academy Shoreditch alumni