Kennedy was a student at King James from 2012 to 2019. After completing her A’ Levels in Sixth Form, she moved to Leeds to study an Undergraduate Law Degree at the University of Law. “I met so many new people and thoroughly enjoyed exploring a new city but unfortunately, in March 2020, the pandemic hit and my time at university was put on hold. I returned home for a while, and all of my learning took place remotely. Eventually, I returned to Leeds to be with my friends until lockdown measures were lifted.” “During my law degree, I volunteered for ‘Witness Support’. As part of this role, I attended York and Leeds Crown Court where I observed a range of criminal cases. This was a huge learning opportunity, and I quickly realised that I had an aptitude for supporting vulnerable individuals who were going through the justice system.” “After three years, I graduated from university with a First Class Honours Degree in Law, then came the big decision; should I become a solicitor or barrister? This decision was easy for me as I had always wanted to be a barrister. I was accepted onto Northumbria’s Bar Course on a part-time basis and although everybody told me how difficult and competitive this route would be, I didn’t let that stop me. I made it my goal to obtain as much experience as possible whilst completing the Bar Course so I accepted a job as a legal secretary in Durham and also returned to King James as a Mentor. My role was primarily based in Sixth Form, working with students to help them prepare for exams on a 12-month contract, but just as it was coming to an end, I was informed that they were looking for someone to teach Law. I saw this as another challenge and grabbed the opportunity. This role developed my advocacy and ability to work under pressure, both of which are essential skills of a barrister. At this time, I also accepted another job as a Paralegal within a local solicitor’s firm. Juggling two jobs and studying the Bar Course was difficult but nothing a little determination could not solve.” “I completed the Bar Course with a Distinction and the biggest day of my career finally arrived when I was called to the Bar. This involved travelling to London with my family, wearing my wig and gown, and being formally appointed as a barrister. The hard work did not stop there however; anyone who wishes to practise as a barrister must complete a period of training known as ‘pupillage’, and given the extremely limited number of these available, this is unbelievably competitive. In my first year of applications, I attended some interviews and although I was considered a ‘reserve’ for one pupillage, I wasn’t successful and had to do it all over again the following year. That brings us to 2025. I had significant success with my applications this year and was invited to many interviews, then in May, pupillage offers were made and after three months of hard work and interviews every weekend, I received three offers. This was, without a doubt, the most important day in my career.” “This month, I am beginning a common law pupillage with Park Square Barristers in Teesside where I will practise both criminal and family law. This is what I have worked for over the last five years and I am beyond excited to get started. As a former student of King James and an ordinary girl from Bishop Auckland, I would encourage anyone with a career goal or aspiration to go for it. If you are willing to put the work in and remain determined, you really can achieve anything!”

Former student, Nathan Pilkington has returned to King James to talk to Year 10 students about his university experience and career as an Architect. Here, he tells us his story. “I joined King James in 2012 during Year 9. By 15 years old, I knew I wanted to be an architect, and thanks to an inspiring period of work experience in Year 11 where I was able to work in the field of archaeology, I realised that my passion lay with architectural preservation and restoration projects. Moving into Sixth Form at King James was a natural progression for me, and I studied A’ Level History, Art and Applied Science from 2015-17, before moving on to study a three-year Degree in Architecture at the University of Liverpool, which was a fantastic experience.” “During the summer of my undergraduate programme, between years 2 and 3, I spent six weeks in Shanghai on an internship with The Anken Group. I organised this independently because I wanted to travel and gain experience with a company that focuses on renovation of buildings rather than replacement, which is completely in line with my own ethos. I learned so much about professional practice in China during this visit, but I also gained confidence in my own ability to adapt to any situation alone. It was an amazing experience and something I would recommend to anyone studying at university.” “When I graduated from university, I enjoyed a three-month long ERASMUS+ placement in Crete, working with the company, Peppas Nikolaos Architects. As part of this, I was able to contribute to the tourism industry through the renovation of historic Greek buildings, which allowed me to expand my knowledge further by studying different building techniques and materials. Again, this was a brilliant experience, and one which gave me a host of design ideas for future projects and helped to build my confidence and resilience; I even learned to speak a little Greek!” “When I returned to the UK, I worked for four months with local company, DWJ Building and Groundworks in Crook so that I could see how construction works first hand. It was fascinating to be able to see how projects are realised from plan, and the importance of effective project management. Following this, I then spent nine months on placement with Crescent Architects, a small practice in North Yorkshire, where I was able to work on a number of independent projects. This was immediately followed by a seven-month placement with the DB3 Group in Aberystwith, Wales. This large, award-winning company is well known for projects in sport, leisure, retail and residential sectors throughout the UK and Internationally, so I was able to gain experience working on conservation designs with budgets from £5-15 million.” “Currently, I am living in Belfast and studying a two-year Master of Architecture at Queen’s University of Belfast; I have already completed year one. I just love learning and developing my knowledge and skills wherever I can, so this was a natural next step for me. During the summer, I was given a bursary to attend the SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) Conference in Kent which was fantastic. It was great to be surrounded by like minded people with the same love for architectural conservation as me.” “In the future, I aspire to build a reputation as an architect for historic buildings and their renovation and preservation. I love travelling, so I would ideally like to be in the position where I could combine this with work. Australia has an array of fantastic Colonial architecture, constructed during the period of European settlement from 1788 to 1840, so I intend to plan a working visit to study it in person. I would also like to visit the New England areas of America. If I was to offer advice to others, it would be to embrace every opportunity that arises to gain experience in the field you hope to enter, and to learn as much as possible from industry professionals. Take control of your own future and never be afraid to seek your own internships, both in the UK and abroad; you will not regret it and will benefit immensely.”

“I was a student at King James from 2009 until 2016 and after leaving Sixth Form I went to Liverpool John Lewis University to study a Degree in Events Management; this was a degree in business management but with a specialism in events." “During the summer following my first year, I travelled to Orlando, USA to work at the Hard Rock Hotel in Universal Studios as an Activities Coordinator. My role involved a 'meet & greet' service for guests, organising family activities to keep everyone entertained and coordinating events such as photoshoots taking place at the hotel. The whole experience was so much fun; I met many wonderful people and loved living in the sunshine so it fuelled my passion for travelling and my desire to live and work abroad." “My degree course structure included an integrated work placement year, which I spent living in St. Julien on the island of Malta working for a company called Sarah Young Events. The company specialised in arranging luxury weddings across the island for both UK visitors and local couples. I found it so rewarding to help plan and coordinate the perfect wedding day for our clients; I really enjoyed seeing people so happy and knowing that I had played a part in making their dreams come true. The experience was invaluable for building both my confidence and my portfolio too, especially as many of the traditional Maltese weddings catered for up to 2,000 guests! It also allowed me to network and build links with other industry professionals including a photographer from Australia and a wedding planner from Dubai." “Following my 12 month placement in Malta I returned to the UK but decided to complete my degree at Manchester Metropolitan University as the course on offer there gave me more opportunities to broaden my experience. I graduated amidst the first national lockdown in 2020 with a full programme of work lined up for the summer and beyond. I had been successful in securing a position to do stage production, project management and artist liaison at 18 music festivals, but sadly these were all cancelled due to Covid-19. I had also secured a three-month placement to work in Shanghai, China; this was to be fully funded by the British Council, however it was also cancelled due to the pandemic. At this point, I applied for a temporary position at King James as Key Stage 3 Covid Catch-up Mentor and was delighted to start work in September 2020." "I've learned so much in my role at King James; I have had the opportunity to build upon my organisational and team working skills, and used my events planning knowledge to help organise the Academy's first virtual Prize Evening and 'Lockdown Legends'. Although I have loved being back at King James, the contract was for 12 months only so I will be leaving in October for pastures new and a return to events management in America." “I am so excited to have secured my dream job in Florida, where I will be working as an Events Coordinator in a large luxury hotel resort in Delray Beach. The hotel plays host to luxury weddings, special events and conferences all year round so I will get to put all of my knowledge and experience to good use. Florida is my favourite place in the world so I can't wait to live and work there; I also can't wait to get back to the career that I love and have missed so much." “My previous experience really gave me the edge when it came to getting this job so my advice to any young person is to be as pro-active as possible about building your cv. Make sure you take every opportunity to try new things, challenge yourself and gain life experience and independence."