By Gavin Mackintosh And Nikki Greener-
A student studying at a prestigious college in East Ham, East London, has become the third from her sixth form college to be awarded an international prize to attend Havard University.
17 year old Nancy Palumbo from Ilford is one of a select few students to be talented ad lucky enough to have won the Harvard University book award this year. The bright teenager achievement follows that of former Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (NCS) student and previous winners Edi Rama and Tafsia Shikda, both of whom scooped the prize in previous years. The respected award is given to outstanding students applying for a place at the American university.
The Havard book award bis a prize given to the top achieving student in the 11th or 12 th grade from 2,000 selected high schools from around the world. It requires as a criteria, a high level of academic excellence and achievements in other fields.
Bright Nancy was handed the prize for her academic excellence in her first year A levels, although she still has another year to go before the completion of her studies. Nancy will join a group of students to be given a tour of prestigious Havard University during a visit to America at the end of October during half term. The experience is amazing for the teenager who was over the moon with the news of her prize.
PRIVILEGE
She said: “It is a great privilege to win this award considering that type of company I am now in with the former winners from NCS.
“It feels good to be recognized for your achievements because you put in an awful lot of work and sometimes you feel it goes unnoticed.
“It is an incredible achievement for the NCS that we have now had three winners in a row of this competition.
“It really does show just how different this place is in terms of aspiration for its pupils. What other state sixth form would take its students to America to tour MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Columbia and participate in lectures delivered by world renowned academics such as Professor Michael Sandel. It really is an amazing place.” Newham sixth form collegiate is a high standard academic school in East London with dedicated teachers who place emphasis on hardwork, consistency, and creativity.
DETERMINATION
Newham Sixth Form Collegiate is a school of high academic standards, adopting a very strict regime that fosters determination and consistence from students. The college is known for its high level of academic performance with a 95% admission rate of its pupils to Russell Universities. The school was recently on the receiving end of criticism for expelling sixth form students who failed to meet the minimum requirement of three C’s in the first year of their A levels
Last year 90 percent of students Newham Collegiate Sixth Form in East Ham, achieved grades of A*to B while 99percent achieved A*- C grades, putting them on par with Eton College.
Proud Headteacher Mouhssin Ismail said: “Receiving this award for the third time is proof if it were needed that this is an internationally regarded institution.
“When I left the legal profession to teach, I did so to lead an educational institution that mirrored the very best the British private schools had to offer.
“We are taking our students to visit Harvard and MIT and other top Ivy League universities in America because we want even more for our students.
Photograph: Ian Miller