Newbury student awarded merit in global essay writing competition

A Year 11 student from Newbury has been awarded a merit for her participation in the John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition.

Natasha, who is studying her GCSEs at St Gabriel's in Newbury, was shortlisted for in her essay in the Politics category entitled ‘When is Compliance Complicity?’

She competed against nearly 35,000 entries from 150 countries in one of the world’s most esteemed academic contests for students.

She said: “To begin with, I didn’t know a lot about the concepts the question presented, but I was interested.

“It was a great opportunity to learn about them.

“I had zero expectations going into the competition, so I’m excited my essay was shortlisted out of so many.”

Natasha attended an awards ceremony and gala dinner on September 21 at the Grosvenor House in Mayfair, London, where she was awarded a merit and received a certificate for her work.

Commenting on Natasha's success, St Gabriel’s principal Ricki Smith said: “We are incredibly proud of Natasha’s outstanding achievement.

“At St Gabriel’s, we encourage our students to rise to the challenge, voice their opinions and make the most of every opportunity.

“Natasha has embodied these values through her hard work and dedication, and this recognition is well deserved.”

The competition challenges participants to engage with complex topics across the fields of Philosophy, Politics, Economics and History, and develop their research and writing skills.