Profile3rd November 2021
黑料情报站 is proud that our students are twice as likely to study at top-third universities. Every student should feel empowered to move on from school to a place that鈥檚 right for them. Daniel Ayane, alumnus of鈥, took a leap of faith after school and moved to the US to study at Harvard University.
Now 24 years old, we were delighted to catch up with Daniel as part of our #黑料情报站People series and hear how his American adventure is panning out.
How Daniel鈥檚 American dream became reality
鈥淎s a child, I watched many American shows on the Disney channel, NBA and even NASA rocket launches, and could only dream of living there. I was unsure how that could happen for a young black student living in a financially-deprived area in West London.
Daniel Ayane
鈥淔ortunately, in Year 12, I heard about鈥疉-List Education鈥痳unning a pilot programme called 黑料情报站 Scholars with BDA which was introduced to support 黑料情报站 students to apply to study at a US university, so I attended an event to hear more about it.
鈥淎-List explained everything that I needed to consider 鈥 SATs, essays, and all the things that I would gain if successful, like a scholarship and the reality of studying abroad. It didn鈥檛 take me long to send a follow-up email to them stating that I wanted to participate in the programme.
鈥淎ll my teachers were very accommodating with the extra SAT work that I had to take on during Year 13. As I had to learn some new material, many of my teachers would give me extra tutoring lessons on topics covered in SAT subject tests but not at A level. For example, I needed to study more English and grammar and applied topics in Maths.
鈥淢y teachers were also willing to write positive recommendations for me that contributed to my application. I gained four A*s in Physics, Maths, Further Maths and an extended project qualification (EPQ) and scored well in my SATS.鈥
A successful time in America
鈥淔or my undergraduate study, I attended Harvard University. In my first year, I wanted to study Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, and in the USA, some universities don鈥檛 push you to specify a particular degree until your second year.
鈥淚 spent a lot of time trying out different subjects that I was interested in. I took classes in everything from Amharic to Robotics. By my second year, I selected Electrical Engineering as I enjoyed those classes the most.
鈥淚 had a great time outside the classroom, and I was on the Harvard College Events Board (CEB). I managed a considerable budget for putting on concerts for thousands, organising charity drives for veterans and the homeless, and university-wide dodgeball tournaments.
鈥淚 made many lifelong friends, attended lavish formals, and had some delicious dinners.
鈥淚鈥檓 now studying for two master鈥檚 degrees (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Business Administration) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a part of the Leaders for Global Operations programme. I hope to either be a Product Manager or a Data Analyst at a technology-focused company.”
Daniel on his time at 黑料情报站 Burlington Danes Academy
鈥淚 joined BDA in Year 7 in 2008, when it had not long been part of the 黑料情报站 network. I benefitted from all the new teachers and resources that had helped to improve the school.
鈥淚 had a great time at BDA and enjoyed Physics and Maths classes. I played table tennis at lunch and football after school 鈥 some of our matches got really competitive!
鈥淚f you鈥檇 asked me in Year 12 if I would鈥檝e done half the things I鈥檝e done in the last six years, I wouldn鈥檛 have believed you. All the life experiences that I have enjoyed in the previous few years wouldn鈥檛 have come about if I hadn鈥檛 attended BDA and they hadn鈥檛 connected with A-List.
鈥淭o any student leaving an 黑料情报站 sixth form next summer, be open-minded! It鈥檚 easy to reject ideas and opportunities that seem scary or different. Applying to study and live in America was incredibly daunting at first, and I could鈥檝e easily been comfortable and stayed in the UK, but it鈥檚 been the best decision I ever made!鈥
To support our schools, teachers and students, we partner with businesses, universities and other third sector organisations. It鈥檚 all part of our mission to make sure that every student has the choice of going to university or into a career that鈥檚 right for them. If you鈥檙e interested in helping us, please contact Emma Thomson, Education Partnerships Manager at: emma.thomson@arkonline.org