Our journey on the Road to 2035 is made of all our community
Read how your donations can be life-changing. Hear from our students, Old Guildfordians and Supporters on why bursaries matter.
Life-Changing Stories
Makisig
Makisig
Name: Makisig. 2C
House: Austen
Junior School: RGS Prep
Makisig is about to embark on a tour of SE Asia with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘School of Rock’ production. He will be taking on three characters, Zak the guitarist (the main young protagonist), Lawrence the Pianist and James in Security.
“My enthusiasm for drama sparked at RGS Prep and flourished in senior school. The tour will take me to South Korea (4 months) and then China (6 months). It’s a great opportunity and I can’t wait to visit South Korea and diving into new experiences, especially the food.
The RGS is an excellent school. The diversity of people you meet here is incredible, and I’ve formed a great group of friends, all from different backgrounds. We pretty much do everything together. The food scene is also something I enjoy – pepperoni pizza is my favourite.
The people here, be it friends, students, or staff, are genuinely great. If you ever have any concerns, there’s always someone to talk to. The range of possibilities is vast. I’m lucky to find joy in various subjects, particularly drama, classics, physics, and engineering. I feel like my future career could go in any direction.
My advice to anyone joining the RGS would be to create as many opportunities and make as many friends as possible. It’s a fantastic place to be.”
Paul Curievici (né Knapp)
Paul Curievici (né Knapp) OG 2000
Name: Paul Curievici (né Knapp) OG 2000
Occupation: Opera Singer
RGS House: Beckingham
Tenor Paul Curievici marked his debut with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden playing Jack Worthing in Gerald Barry’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and has performed with many leading companies, including the Barbican Theatre, the New York Philharmonic, the Royal Danish Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera. A recipient of the John Scott Award from Scottish Opera and the Basil Turner Prize from British Youth Opera, Curievici has established himself as a notable figure in the opera world.
Reflecting on his educational journey, Paul recognises he was lucky to experience an RGS education and still holds fond memories of some of the teaching staff.
“The assisted place, and subsequent bursary came at a particularly challenging time for our family and the financial assistance and the RGS education gave me a pathway forward.
I believe that schools should work to fully integrate bursary boys to foster social mobility. My advice to future bursary recipients would be to never let anyone tell you that wealth is signifier of merit or that you have less right to learn. Consider what world you want to build and what world you are willing to be a part of.”
Beyond his opera career Paul has used his platform to support young singers through the British Youth Opera as well as performing at charity concerts.
Finn Hamilton
Finn Hamilton OG 2018
Name: Finn Hamilton OG 2018
Occupation: Currently a Futures Analyst at DSTL
RGS House: Nettles
My parents had always instilled in me the importance of a good education, and without a full bursary, I would not have been able to join the RGS. I feel incredibly lucky that I was able to benefit from an RGS education which undoubtedly made a significant impact on my life and career. The School provided an environment where my curiosity and love of learning could thrive. Supportive and engaging teachers fostered my enthusiasm for history, philosophy and politics, and some of my best moments were as part of the Model United Nations conferences, an activity only made possible by the RGS.
The Bursary Programme provides people like me with a platform to flourish; offering a child a top education, with music, drama, sport and everything else that comes with it, can change their life. It’s a chance for those who have most benefitted from society to give back and pass it on to someone equally deserving.
A good education is not just about high-quality academic learning. It’s about that and so much more; learning soft skills, meeting people and networking, extra-curricular activities, and most importantly – learning how to develop yourself as a person – those boys on a bursary use all of this and never take it for granted.
Quote: Brilliant people spring up from all over the world, with all kinds of backgrounds and levels of privilege. What unites them is they backed themselves, and didn’t let barriers stop them from achieving … If you have the right character, anything is achievable.
Salima Shariff & Arthur Mitchell
Salima Shariff and Arthur Mitchell
Salima Shariff and Arthur Mitchell, Current Parents
We are hugely impressed with Dr Cox’s vision for the RGS, the energy of the School, and most of all, the values of the RGS boys. Yes, they are academically strong, but there is something special in being authentic and kind individuals. From the very beginning Dr Cox emphasised the importance of the Bursary Campaign, and the RGS Foundation is exceptional at keeping the wider community and parents updated.
Over the last seven years Esa has truly grown into himself. Quietly confident, aware of himself and the impact he has on his community and the world in which he lives. There is no doubt these RGS boys will be leaders of the future and the world needs more socially aware people. I am confident our youngsters today have the strength of character, the courage, the resilience and the grit to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Marion and David Peters
Marion and David Peters
Marion and David Peters OG 1980 and parents to Will Peters OG 2009 and Guy Peters OG 2011
As I watched my two boys go through the School I was impressed by the way they were encouraged to develop as individuals and discover for themselves where their dreams and abilities could take them in the years ahead. I was also grateful for the community that exists at the RGS, for the relationships between the boys and the staff.
As Will and Guy left university, we wanted to share the privilege of excellent education and close-knit community with boys who have gifts and abilities but not funding.
Widening access is important to us because we believe strongly that privilege brings responsibility. The RGS is a fabulous school producing wonderful young men and leaders – increasing the base from which such potential can be released is an important and exciting opportunity.
Vithushan Sivanathan
Vithushan Sivanathan OG 2018
Vithushan Sivanathan OG 2018
Contributing to the Bursary Campaign seemed a quiet and modest way of saying thank you to the School for all it had done for me. The RGS’s ambition of expanding means-tested bursaries is noble and significant, and I am glad to be able to support it.
I feel incredibly lucky that I was able to enjoy an RGS education, but I am very conscious of those families who desperately wish the same for their children but haven’t the means to access it. It is undeniable that, at present, independent schools cater to a very small slice of society and merely being uncomfortably aware of this fact is no longer sustainable. It is important that the RGS be proactive and hold the door open for all bright boys who are equally as deserving. The temper of the times is to redress endemic inequality in society and making the RGS more inclusive, via bursaries, is a step in the right direction.
Alex Denny
Alex Denny
Name: Alex Denny OG 2016
Current position: Trainee Solicitor at Allen & Overy
House: Austen
Going through the RGS is a journey and something that comes together after many years. I remember coming away from my 11+ and thinking there are people who deserved their place dramatically more than I did. It was a massive feeling of relief pride and absolute excitement when I got in … I was ready to step into something bigger and more dynamic.
There’s a lot of things I enjoyed, but more than the headline moments, it was the everyday kindness and supportive attitude of my peers and the staff. The School believed in me and endorsed what I wanted to do which leads to an immense sense of security and confidence.
Being given such a fantastic opportunity is a gift, and inspired me to help nurture young minds. I am currently a Naval Officer in the reserves, I was a Governor of a Special Emotional Needs School, I’m a Trustee for a Legal Charity to grow mentoring within the sector and a Trustee for an MUN charity.
The more opportunities we can give to young people, the more they will make the most of them.
Misha Verkerk
Misha Verkerk
Name: Misha Verkerk OG 2006
Occupation: Consultant Otologist & ENT Surgeon
RGS House: Nettles
“Being awarded an RGS Bursary made all the difference to my education, giving me a drive to get involved and a passion to give back.”
Since leaving the RGS, Misha has dedicated himself to a career in medicine. Graduating from Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, with a Double 1st in Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, he continued as a Trainee Doctor at UCL London, qualifying for his MBBS with Distinction and ranking 1st in competitive national selection to train in Otorhinolaryngology (Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery).
Currently a Consultant Otologist & ENT Surgeon Royal Surrey Hospital, he is also UK Director for Global ENT Outreach, a medical charity providing healthcare and surgical training in the developing world (www.geoutreach.org). They are currently establishing an ENT training unit in Ethiopia. Under Misha’s leadership, all those who have qualified through the programme have remained within Ethiopia, helping to pass on knowledge and medical treatment.
In recognition for his exceptional surgical skills and international humanitarian work, his colleagues voted him the ‘Rising Star’ award at the 2020 BACO International ENT conference. The Executive Committee commented: “Misha demonstrates all of the characteristics that are required for a future leader with an innovative and global outlook for the specialty and a natural surgical ability.
Join the journey and make a gift to the Road to 2035.
Join the Beckingham Society and leave your legacy
Join the journey and make a gift to the Road to 2035.
Join the Beckingham Society and leave your legacy.
