Alumni issue 3

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER CTC Alumni Newsletter Issue 3 JANUARY 2015

Catching up with Valerie Simpson

Spotlight on former students

The 2014 Awards Ceremony

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements:

Many thanks to : Valerie Simpson, Chun Hong Tung , Teresa Montano

Picture below : Staff and students from 1983

4 Catching up with former Vice-Principal Valerie Simpson

6 Spotlight on alumni Chun Hong Tang

8 2014 Annual Awards Ceremony

9 Zi Koon reflects on his time at CTC

10 Wise words from Senior Tutor Dr John Rodgers

11 Principal Mark Eagers’ vision for CTC

12 2014 Award Winners

A WORD FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to the December issue of Alumni News. We are just about to finish the longest term of the academic year

and I think most students and Tutors are pretty tired right now; the warm, light and sunny days of September seem

a long way away.

In June I wrote about some of the things I wanted to see done over the summer and am pleased to tell you that we

have a new reception area, refurbished common room, repainted cafeteria and have begun the process of

repainting corridors and classrooms. We have upgraded the wifi system in College and spent a lot of money on

upgrading the hardware available to students.

We have also been working hard on the new Development Plan for the College over the next five years which I

have called Vision 2020. It is still very much in draft form but we are looking to grow the size of the College over

this period, maintaining on improving further our academic standards and the broader provision for, and pastoral

support of, the students here. In terms of looking ahead, we will be introducing a fast track A level course in

September (the two year programme in just one year) as well as a new pre A level Foundation course which will

better support our non-native English speakers.

Do please keep checking the website over the coming months to see what’s going on in College. If you are ever in

London then do please think of coming to see the College; we would love to se you but do please let us know

beforehand.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy holiday period and very best wishes from everyone at CTC

for a fantastic New Year.

Mark Eagers

4 CTC NEWSLETTER

Keep in touch by visiting www.ctc.ac.uk/Alumni or

Valerie Simpson (formerly Dale) was CTC’s Vice Principal from 1990 to 2007

Name

Valerie Simpson (previously Valerie Dale until 1999) - Vice

Principal

When did you start working at CTC?

I started in August 1990, just before A-level results day, and

left 17 years later in August 2007, the day after A-level results

day.

What did you most about working at CTC?

The unique nature of the College. It was (and still is) unlike

any other education establishment that I know. The

camaraderie amongst staff and the engagement of the

students made it an absolute pleasure to go to work each day.

I loved the job I did and felt extremely fortunate to have been

appointed to my role, so I was extremely sad when the time

came for me to retire. I couldn’t bear to give up work entirely

so I have been self-employed as an Education Consultant

since leaving CTC.

What did you like least about working at CTC?

Driving up Water Tower Hill in the snow. It was impossible to

get a grip on the icy road and if, for any reason you needed to

stop half way up, there was a real possibility that you wouldn’t

make it to the College entrance. You were in danger of

finding yourself sliding backwards into the traffic on Coombe

Road, where other drivers were also having difficulty

CATCHING UP WITH FORMER STAFF

Valerie as she was in 1990

Pictured with former Principal David Wilson during an

International Evening from the 1990s

CTC NEWSLETTER 5

controlling their vehicles. Fortunately, I lived close enough to

walk to work when the snow was heavy. I remember how

excited the students got each year when the first snow flake

fell, especially students from countries where it never snows.

One year, the snow was so heavy that some students and

staff couldn’t get home and had to sleep at the College

overnight. We don’t seem to get winters like that any more. .

Which student or class do you remember most

clearly from your time at CTC, and why?

Since a major part of my role was to write UCAS references

for all the students passing through the College, I cannot

help reflecting on how things changed over time. I remember

well the first one I wrote at CTC as it was the first one I had

ever written anywhere. I won’t mention any student by name

but I was very conscious that whatever I said about that

student could influence the universities’ decisions. I redrafted

that reference so many times to get it just right and, in those

days, I wrote them all by hand. They were then typed up by

one of the secretaries and pasted (with real glue!) into a

paper UCAS form.

How archaic that seems now. I didn’t have a computer in my

office until 1994 and, even then, I only used it for emails.

Once the UCAS application process became fully electronic,

life was so much easier. I never forgot, though, that

whatever I said in the reference could affect a student’s

whole future, so I took just as much care with every one I

wrote as I had with that first one.

What is your most amusing/significant memory of

your time at CTC?

I have to say it was when I met Mr Oakes. You see, we had met before – some 14 years earlier, in fact. My previous role had been as Head of Chemistry at Old Palace School in Croydon. In about 1976, I was interviewing prospective teachers to join my department. One of the interviewees was a fresh-faced young man. He was very bright with an Oxford degree but he didn’t get the job and I didn’t see him again. At least, not until I joined CTC. For there he was leading his own Chemistry Department and he’s still there! I can’t help thinking that I did CTC a huge favour by not offering Mr Oakes a job!

What have you missed about CTC?

I missed everything about CTC – the students, my colleagues and the work that I did. Consequently, I was absolutely delighted to be invited to work with CTC students

again this year in an advisory capacity. Of course, there have been changes since I left nearly eight years ago and many of my old colleagues have left but there are still some familiar faces around. More importantly though, the fabric of the building and the nature of the College’s work remain the same, and the students are as charming as ever. How fortunate I am!

Hard at work using a “pen” and “paper”. The object on the left

is a Computer from the 1990s! Valerie on her 70th birthday

6 CTC NEWSLETTER

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SPOTLIGHT ON FORMER STUDENTS

Name and nationality

Dr Chun Hong Tang. Malaysian.

During which years were you a student at

CTC?

2005-2006. A Level studies.

What have you been up to since leaving

CTC?

Studied Medicine MBBS at King,s

College ,London. I am currently working as an

orthopaedic surgical trainee up at the Queen’s

Medical Centre in Nottingham. I have done all

Chun’s photo from his original application form to CTC Chun at the Alumni event In Kuala Lumpur in 2011

“The memories made

in the warm cosy

atmosphere of the

college is something

that I will always hold

dear in my heart.”

CTC NEWSLETTER 7

The Alumni

my post graduate medicine training up

here, with plenty of opportunities to hone

my medical knowledge, skills and provide

much needed support to the community as

a whole.

I have had a couple of visits back to CTC

since my graduation from there, mostly to

visit my host family, whom I am still close

to, along with the College and tutors in

general. The memories made in the warm

cosy atmosphere of the college is

something that I will always hold dear in my

heart.

Funniest moment at CTC?

I think it’s difficult to pick a particular

moment, as there were so many

memorable ones whilst I was at CTC. But I

guess amongst them all, was all those

chemistry classes with my tutor Mr Stephen

Oakes, who was always so imaginative with

his teaching, when he made chemistry

seem so interesting, fun and most of all a

joy to learn. His knowledge and keenness

to involve us in his IT projects was always

good fun and made the learning

environment all the more enjoyable.

I will always remember one particular

moment, when a friend of ours constantly

wore the same type and colour of clothing

into College everyday, and when we were

joking about it in class, Mr Oakes, would

say, “well, may be he went into a discount

shop and got one of those ‘buy one, get

TEN free’ t shirts!”

Most memorable thing about CTC?

The narrowness of the corridors, and the

close, almost family like atmosphere at the

college. The study breaks in between

classes, where, friends could always come

together for some light banter, and also

compare study notes.

And most of all, it was the first place in the

UK, where I fell in love with my self-styled,

“CAMP – Chicken and Mushroom Pie!”

Simply brilliant..all for 99p as well!

Are you in regular contact with any CTC

alumni? If so, who?

Absolutely, I am in constant contact with the

rest of the CTC alumni of my year,

particularly the Malaysian group. I must

admit the vast majority of them have left UK

post their degrees, to head to all corners

and facets of the globe to further their

careers, but myself and two of my best

mates, Chee Kuan Piong and Fong Lik Lee

whom I met at CTC, are still in close

contact. We often chat and keep in touch

online with the various aspects of our life.

Myself and Chee Kuan in particular, still

work and live in the same city at the

moment, constantly meeting up, discussing

old jokes, and continue to enjoy a great

social working life.

CTC definitely was a moment in our life,

such a quick one at that, but the impact it

has left on each of us, is etched into our

memory, and dare I say it, for the rest of all

of our lives.

8 CTC NEWSLETTER

Keep in touch by visiting www.ctc.ac.uk/Alumni or

AWARD CEREMONY 2014

“The past 18 months I

have spent at CTC

has been an

unforgettable

journey”

Zi Koon Pong

“You brought us joy. And now

we say – bring joy to your

university staff. Bring joy to

your parents and partners and

all who are important to you.”

Dr John Rodgers

“You will hear some people say

your school days are the best in

your lives. I truly hope not…

because as young men and

women the best days lie ahead

of you and not already past!”

Mark Eagers

CTC NEWSLETTER 9

My fellow friends it’s amazing how time flies and that 4 months

ago we were anxiously sitting in this very hall completing our A2

exams with our conditional offers and eventual career paths at

stake. For those who sat for the harrowing Chemistry Unit 5

paper, I'm sure you will all agree that its a pleasant change of

atmosphere that we are back in this hall today to celebrate the

fact that all of us have managed to pull through and emerged in

one piece. It’s great to see everyone once again, and I am truly in

awe at those who have come from afar such as Zeyar from

Glasgow to attend this event. I hope all of you have had a

wonderful summer and have fully settled into life at university and

are not getting too bogged down with the workload.

We often get so caught up with the present that we forget to

look back and see how far we have come and occasions like

these serve to remind us of the accomplishments we have made.

2 weeks ago, whilst ploughing through my endless pile of

Engineering examples papers and frantically worrying about the

statics lab report that was due the Monday after, I received an

email from Mr Eagers asking me to give a short summary of what

I have gotten out of CTC and this really got me thinking. In

retrospect, the past 18 months I have spent at CTC has been an

unforgettable journey that simply cannot be summed up in a brief

5 minute speech, but I shall do my best to highlight the most

memorable ones.

13th of January, my first day in Croydon is one that stands out

in particular as it was the first day I trudged through the most

perilous of snowy weather conditions with 60 kilograms worth of

luggage from East Croydon Station to my hostess’s house in

Sanderstead. With the trusty google maps loaded on my phone,

my mum and I set off on what I thought would be a short 10

minute walk. Oh how wrong I was when it ended up taking an

hour to get there and it was all because of a major mistake on my

part by failing to take note of the distance scale and elevation on

the map. If you have been up to Sanderstead, which I’m sure

most of you have, imagine walking up that steep and long stretch

of road leading up to the roundabout with 60 kilograms worth of

luggage.

Coming to CTC was a first in many different aspects for me. It

marked the first time I was living away from my parents, the first

time I had to make decisions on my own and the first time I was

left to take charge of my academic and social life. Fortunately,

thanks to the admin and welfare staff here at CTC, the transition

was a lot less daunting than I expected it to be and I settled in no

time at all. Over the past 18 months, I have fostered long-lasting

friendships and met talented and dedicated tutors who are willing

to go to great lengths to clarify whatever doubts I had with my

academics, instilling confidence and preparing me for the

challenges I will undoubtedly face at university. For that I am truly

grateful to each and every one of them for helping me get to

where I am today. As much as today is meant to be a day to

celebrate the achievements of graduating students, I view it as

an opportunity to appreciate the efforts of our tutors and I hope

all of you will join me in giving a round of applause to them along

with every member of staff here at CTC.

Having moved on to university I realised that there will be

some aspects which I took for granted during my stay in CTC that

I probably will not have the chance to experience again in future.

Subtle details such as the narrow corridors and the small student

population means that you are pretty much known to everyone

and it also makes it very likely for you to bump into someone you

know, be it tutors or peers, and spontaneously strike up a

conversation as you wander from one corridor to the next. This is

what makes CTC - well CTC and the sense of a close-knit

international community is one that is truly unique to this

institution.

All the photos from the event can be viewed here

Zi Koon Pong gave a highly

engaging and thoughtful talk,

recalling some of his fondest

memories from his time at CTC.

AWARD CEREMONY 2014

There was a very rich businessman. And I mean very

rich. He had a daughter who was 21 years old. There

were lots of young men around who wanted to marry

her. But did they want to marry her for who she was –

or for her money? This question troubled him. He

wanted to make sure the man who she married really

loved her.

He held a party. A really big party. Lots of people were

invited including a number of possible husbands for his

daughter. At one point during the party, he got

everybody together beside the large outdoor pool in his

garden. And this is what he said:

“You see this pool. Look into the pool carefully. Can

you see the shark swimming round in there? That shark

is hungry! Now I know some of you young men out

there would like to marry my daughter. Well if you’re

going to marry her you have to earn it. My daughter has

agreed to marry the first man who swims across the

pool – and survives.”

There’s a gasp of shock from the crowd. A few young

guys step forward – look into the pool – and then step

back. Silence falls. But suddenly there’s a splash.

There’s a man in the pool. His arms and legs are

moving powerfully through the water. But the shark has

spotted him and is moving towards him. The crowd are

cheering him on. There’s a sense of excitement – and

perhaps dread. He’s swimming for his life. But look –

he’s made it to the other side. He’s getting out of the

water. The crowd are cheering.

The father goes over to congratulate him. “Well done

young man. We’ll fix the date of the wedding.”

“Later,” says the young man. “First I want to find out

who pushed me.”

I just wanted to say that in your lives to come, you will

make big decisions – what to do after graduating?

Where to live? Who to marry? You may even find, like

the man in the story, that some decisions are forced

upon you by circumstances and you don’t seem to have

much choice.

But what I want to say to you is this. While you were

here at CTC you brought us joy. We had fun teaching

you and getting to know you. Maybe we didn’t look as

though we were enjoying teaching you at times – but

when we look back, we’re glad we had the chance to

work with you and help you on to the next stage in your

life. And we were so pleased for you that your exam

results were so great. And we were so pleased when

you got into such excellent universities.

You brought us joy. And now we say – bring joy to your

university staff. Bring joy to your parents and partners

and all who are important to you. Bring joy to them as

you have to us. We thank you for the privilege of

knowing you and spending time with you. Thank you.

Dr Rodgers inspired us all

with the parable of the

young man and the shark

infested swimming pool!

Chairman, Members of Council, Colleagues, and former

students…a final but particularly warm welcome to you all on

this grey November evening. It is great to see you here and

thank you for taking the time and trouble to come.

CTC is an extraordinary place and I hope you cherish what CTC

has done for you.

It is a privilege to study here. Getting the most out of you in

academic terms lies at our core, with international

understanding as another core value. It is these values that

were a key attraction for me when I applied.

85% of our students come from overseas, and the 21st century

is truly a global world. While India is coming up fast on the rails,

one of the BRIC economies, I am sure this century is the one

that will be dominated by the countries and economies of East/

SE Asia. We will see, I hope, the rapid development of Africa, of

South America…and what of the Russian bear and surrounding

countries?

And what of CTC this year?

We had a very pleasing set of public examinations results. And

we are celebrating that success today.

We have begun a process of refurbishment, starting with the

student common room and cafeteria. Much remains to be done

but we have a will to develop.

You got a new Principal in April.

If we judge a place on its people then:

Students: Overwhelmingly delightful, courteous, well

motivated, aspirational, happy students

A highly experienced and committed team of Tutors,

keen to do the best for their students

A very hard working team of support staff, largely

unsung…from bursary, science technicians, to reception, to

maintenance and grounds, catering, cleaning…and who could

forget Mrs Beckett, the Boss!

A governing body, The majority of whom are external, who

are passionate about the College. Their role is protect the

interests of the College, ensuring that it fulfils its charitable

aims. Council members, at least external ones, are largely

unseen, and yet they put in considerable hours in the evenings,

at weekends and during the working day in an unpaid capacity.

As for the physical aspects, we know we need to invest in what

currently exists (classrooms etc) and hopefully in new major

capital expenditure…for that read buildings.

We are busy discussing the next Five Year Plan which I have

called 2020 Vision or Vision 2020, and when we have finalised

it, we will share it with you all. We have exciting plans for the

future and I hope you will watch them and perhaps be a part of

them. You may think I mean by giving money – and that would

be very welcome! – but through attending alumni events,

involving yourselves in mentoring programmes etc.

You will hear some people say your school days are the best in

your lives. I truly hope not…because as young men and

women the best days lie ahead of you and not already past!

Principal Mark Eagers closed

the evening by sharing his

thoughts on the college and

his vision for its future.

Here are the edited highlights.

12 CTC NEWSLETTER

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ACCOUNTING

Khak Tuan NGUYEN

Very committed to the subject over the 18 month course and great at

debating the issues (Judy Krey)

ART

Le Gia Linh TRAN

Tremendous improvement in her skills over the two years. Supported

with dedication and hard work (Barry Morgan)

BIOLOGY

Yau Hui LIM

Worked hard and attained a grade higher than anticipated (Liz Slater)

CHEMISTRY

Qing Yu KWOK

This student gave all her best and worked very hard (Cynthia Sandhu)

ECONOMICS

Thuy Dung NGUYEN

She showed all-round excellence over two years of study (Mike

Penfold)

EFL

Xinzhu XIAO

She worked hard and showed real persistence and dedication (John

Rodgers/Jonathan Cutting)

ENGLISH LITERATURE

Pokua ADDEI

Commitment and interest: gone on to read English at university (Sarah

Das Gupta)

FRENCH

Cristian URIGIUC

A very interested and interesting young man who chose French not at

a subject, but as a passion. Teaching him was a sheer pleasure, and

he taught me a few things too. Ask Cristian a question, but make sure

you have put half a day aside for his answer! (Margaret Rogers)

FURTHER MATHS

1. Zi Koon PONG*

598 out of 600 points for ‘Maths’ and 544 points for Further Maths

including 272 out of 300 on the 3 most difficult mechanics units

2. Le Gia Linh TRAN*

576 points on ‘Maths’ and 532 for Further Maths. She also has 272 on

the 3 hardest mechanics units.

*Both of these students are not only extremely able but worked with

extraordinary levels of focus and enthusiasm to achieve these excellent

results (Gill Gardiner)

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Torgyn SUZHANOVA

Torgyn got the higher overall mark (David O’Dwyer)

HISTORY

Amii LEPPIK

She worked very hard and enthusiastically, had to overcome personal

difficulties including a serious lack of self-esteem, and finally got a well-

earned A. She is now reading History at Royal Holloway (John

Oliphant)

ICT

Edward GOMBERG

Started the course in the second year. Worked very hard to achieve an

A in his coursework. Achieved an A overall for his exams (Phyllis

Nsiah)

MATHEMATICS

Vanessa CHONG*

The highest score on 6 units (578 out of 600) for a Mathematics Award

(from those not doing Further Maths)[A*] (Gill Gardiner)

AWARD CEREMONY 2014

The Award Winners

CTC NEWSLETTER 13

PHYSICS

Zi Koon PONG

He was hard-working, polite and read around the subject (Gregory

Farrelly)

PURE MATHEMATICS

He JIANG*

She achieved full marks on all 7 ‘Pure’ mathematics units She also has

a perfect score of 600 for ‘Maths’ as well as and 589 for Further

MathsShe also performed very well on the Senior Maths challenge and

BMO1 (Gill Gardiner)

STATISTICS

Yau Hui LIM*

A* with 539 points (Gill Gardiner)

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION

TO COLLEGE LIFE:

Chee Lin Piong

Extra-Curricular Awards:

Sports Prize Winners

Football: Player of the Year - William Chong Kar Jue

Basketball: Player of the year - Yuxiang LIU

College Magazine: Cristian URIGIUC

:

MACCARTHY AWARDS WINNERS (For students who gained at least 2 A*s in their A2s)

Gia Linh Tran

Zi Koon Pong

Ying Xi Tan

Tze Ho Elden Tse

Thanh Thanh An Do

Vanessa Chong

Arisa Roongjirarat

Linh Trang Nguyen

Zhen Yi Chan

Yau Hui Lim

Khak Tuan Nguyen

Lip Yee Kuok

Yu Pei

Chengjiu Liu

Chen Xu

He Jiang

Cambridge Tutors College

Water Tower Hill

Croydon

Surrey

CR0 5SX

Tel: +44(0)20 8688 5284

Email: [email protected]

www.ctc.ac.uk