Hi!! My name is Grace White.
I’m in 14T and I am proud to be one of St Genevieve’s head girls this year. 
I am currently studying for three A Levels which are English, geography and religion. I really enjoy every subject I do at A Level because they are all very different. I have always been interested in English since first year because I love reading and writing creative stories. I have shown this by helping in relation to the school newsletter which I very much enjoyed! I chose to study geography at A level because I genuinely found it fascinating at GCSE when Mrs Mackle was my teacher. I especially liked learning about different countries, cities and cultures as well as volcanoes, so after achieving an A grade at GCSE I thought it would be a waste for me not to continue studying the subject. What made the prospect of studying A level geography even more appealing was the chance to go to La Salle for classes because I knew I would meet new people and make a bunch of new friends which was very exciting. I found it very easy to fit into La Salle because the teachers and the pupils were understanding and very welcoming, just like in St Genevieve’s. I also find religion very interesting as I have learnt so much about various religions, including the Christian religion, which I did not know or probably wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t have been studying the subject, so I’m really glad I kept it on.

Not only do I try my best to succeed in an academic sense in school, but I am always willing and interested in participating in extracurricular activities after school, as this provides me with the chance of meeting new people and having fun. I am a member of the school senior debating team, which I thoroughly enjoy! In the debating team, myself and the other members get the pleasure of discussing our opinions on issues such as poverty, politics and feminism. We have only had two debates so far and both were against St Mary’s Grammar school, we won one and also lost one, but both times were a lot of fun and we all learnt a lot.

During lower sixth, I had the opportunity to be a part of the ‘New Day’ programme which is run by St Louis house. Every Monday night for six weeks, myself and a few of my friends from my class, and other girls in my year went to St Louis house were we participated in activities, acted out dramas, and explored our Christian faith. Whilst doing this we also got to know people who I would not have normally associated with and now many of them are my close friends, so I am very grateful that opportunity came along and I took it. After ‘New Day’, I also became involved in ‘Search’. ‘Search’ is another St Louis based programme and involved the ‘New Day’ group going on a residential for the weekend. Whilst on the weekend I got the pleasure of meeting a lot of new people from different back grounds, which I am very happy about because I love making new friends and learning about others. The ‘Search’ weekend taught me so much, not only about myself, but about religion and team work, most of all though, it was fantastic fun! Therefore, when I was asked to apply for the position of a ‘Search 2011’ leader I was thrilled and jumped at the opportunity. Now I am just looking forward to what else I can learn from the new candidates of search. I was also a part of ‘The Gift’ programme. Myself and other year 13 students would take an hour out of our time during school to play games, have fun and get to know the new first years. I enjoyed this very much as I believe it is important to listen and communicate with the year 8 girls, as sometimes they may feel scared and nervous when starting a new school with lots of new people. I would strongly encourage every St Genevieve’s girl to get involved in extracurricular activities as it helps boost your confidence, make new friends, and you may even discover a hidden talent, which is an extra bonus!

Now that I am in my last year at St Genevieve’s High School, I have to think seriously about my future and my career. I have always loved English and have always been an aspiring writer, therefore I am planning on going to university to study journalism, which I am very excited about. In order to do this I have to work extremely hard and dedicate myself to my school work in order to achieve the A Level grades I need to get into university, and I am determined I will. Once I become a successful journalist, I plan to move to London where I will hopefully work for a high-end fashion magazine such as Glamour, Elle or Company. Ultimately though, my ambition is to be happy in life in whatever I find myself doing.

Thank you and good luck for the rest of your time at St Genevieve’s,

Grace.