Leadership Likes: Mrs Cook – an insight into the incredible evening hosted by The GDST

This week the power of belonging to an organisation driven to make the world a more equal place for all, was brought home to me in a wonderful way.

On Monday evening, I was privileged to be invited to attend a very special event at London’s Science Museum. The GDST hosted an evening drinks reception for over 300 guests; a celebratory and forward-looking occasion to formally mark the start of the GDST’s 150th school year and to award the prestigious 2022 Alumna of the Year and Exceptional Contribution Awards. It was also an opportunity to share the findings of the recent Girls’ Future Report commissioned by the GDST, which Dr Purvis discussed in a recent Leadership Likes article.

Amongst many VIP guests, including stakeholders and representatives of a number of blue chip companies who are looking to support the Trust’s philanthropic aims, the most important of all were some the alumnae and pupils of the 25 schools that make up the GDST family.

On arrival at the venue, Ms Davies, Mrs Roe and I were thrilled to see the wonderful image of Esther (Class of 2020) as the ‘poster girl’ for the GDST 150 Event! Esther always was and always will be an inspiring role model (Happy 21st birthday today – 2 December – Esther!)

We were also immensely proud of three of our sixth form students who had been asked to represent the school at the event. Ashwini, Varjitha and Gaji certainly flew the flag for Croydon High, chatting to peers in other schools, dignitaries and a whole range of interesting people with charm and ease. We were also absolutely delighted to welcome a former pupil, Anne Welham (Class of 1971) who is one on a number of incredible women to have pledged a legacy to the school that she loved. It was wonderful to see Ms Welham chatting with our students, exchanging stories about the school over the last 50 years.

100 years before Ms Welham was at school, the GDST was founded by four pioneering women who dedicated themselves to giving girls a first class education.  Mrs Maria Grey, her sister Miss Emily Shirreff, Lady Stanley of Alderley and Miss Mary Gurney were uncompromising in their ambition for girls to be given the same opportunities as their brothers. Their burning desire for a more equal world continues to inspire everyone across the GDST.

The formal part of the evening began with the announcement of the winner of the GDST’s Alumna of the Year award, which was launched in 2011 to recognise and reward the many and varied achievements of our 70,000 plus GDST alumnae. Eight Croydon High alumnae have featured as finalists in this prestigious competition – an amazing achievement amongst such strong competition. Previous winners include actor Olivia Colman, the MET’s first female Commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick and journalist Samira Ahmed. And this year was no different with Susie Ma (Class of 2007) named as one of the finalists. Susie is Founder and CEO of Tropic Skincare and a dedicated philanthropist with a keen focus on creating a healthier, greener and more empowered world.

The list of finalists was truly outstanding, including campaigners for social change, entrepreneurs, a STEM Ambassador, a NASA Engineer and the founder of the charity Refugees at Home, as well as a number of women championing diversity and representation in society, specifically in terms of gender and race as well as advocating for the disabled community. Just reading their various biographies was an emotional experience! The winner of the 2022 Award, Dr Ellie Cannon is an NHS GP who uses her profile as a broadcaster and health writer to champion public health and particularly the levelling up of intergenerational women’s health. Dr Cannon, who writes a weekly column for The Mail on Sunday, and appears regularly on ITV’s This Morning and BBC Breakfast, spoke inspiringly of how her school days at Newcastle High had prepared her so brilliantly not only to aspire to do what she loved but also to take every opportunity to give something back.

The next award, GDST Trailblazer of the Year, was made to Junior Doctor, Grace Spence-Green.  An alum of South Hampstead High, Grace is working to challenge the narratives surrounding disability, medicine and identity. In 2018, aged 22 and in her 4th year as a medical student, Grace sustained a spinal cord injury and is now a full-time wheelchair user. Grace is also host of the podcast series, This is Spinal Crap. Grace’s approach to life, including all its challenges and opportunities was stirring and she left us in no doubt as to the fact that her school life and the teachers who encouraged her along the way are in large part responsible for her incredible resilience and formidable personality.

The final speaker on the evening, however, was the youngest and the one whose story will stay with me always. Paris Thompson is a Year 13 student at Norwich High. She was born prematurely, at 22 weeks and profoundly deaf. With an immensely supportive family by her side, Paris clearly set out to overcome these challenges devoting her young life advocating awareness and raising funds to support causes such as for Great Ormond Street Hospital; she helped raise over £10 million for their Sight and Sound centre, which supports deaf and/or blind children. Paris explained that she had walked past Norwich High every day on her way to school and, in her own words, “dreamed that she might go there one day.” She was encouraged by her Drama teacher to apply for the Sixth Form and was awarded not only a Drama Scholarship but also a bursary place. Paris described this opportunity as nothing less than life transforming; opening up opportunities beyond her imagination which she is already grasping with both hands. She took the opportunity to acknowledge very openly the generosity of those who had contributed to the bursary funds that enable the GDST to support her and many others like her. Since 1998, just over 6,600 women across the UK have benefited from the life-changing opportunity of a GDST education thanks to the bursary programme.

Paris’s wonderful speech acted as a launchpad for the GDST’s 150 Campaign; something that we were all joining together to support with the ultimate goal of raising funds through philanthropic giving to support 150 new bursaries throughout the GDST network. It is something that I am personally passionate about as I am so privileged to see first-hand, every day, the power of a GDST education and the impact it can have to nurture and inspire the changemakers of the future.

It was an absolute honour to be amongst so many awe-inspiring women on Monday, all linked by their association with the GDST and all advocates of its mission. I am sure Maria Grey, Emily Shirreff, Lady Stanley and Mary Gurney would be very proud.

Mrs Cook

Director of Philanthropy and External Relations