CTC Alumni Newsletter Issue 4
Spotlight on former students David Wilson reminisces Report on this year’s retiring tutors
Summer 2015
CONTENTS
4
Introduction from Principal Mark Eagers
6
Catching up with former tutor Charl Burger
8
Spotlight on Former Student An Do
9
Remembering Nellie Morris
10
David Wilson recalls recruiting CTC’s first student from Burma
12
Saying Farwell to our retiring tutors
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Welcome to the July issue of Alumni News. As I write this, Croydon is steaming under the heat of the hottest day for ten years (apparently) and many of you no longer resident in the UK will remember how poorly we cope with slight weather variations despite talking so much about the weather. Plus ca change, as we say on Water Tower Hill. We have just finished the academic year and expect a good set of examination results in August - in fact we hope for our best results since 2012. It is always a very nervous time for all students waiting for these; of course so much depends on them as regards university entry requirements, but I know how hard our Tutors have worked with our students to prepare them for examination success. CTC remains a very busy place. University preparation is very important to us and this year we re-introduced an HE Fair just before the end of term. Students had a variety of presentations to attend and then more individual sessions with representatives from universities such as LSE, UEA, Nottingham, Surrey. We have also appointed a new University Admissions Officer (Mrs Burton) from September to assist our students even more. Entry into the top universities becomes ever more competitive (one student’s offer from Imperial was simply: A* A* A* !). In terms of staffing news, we have said a sad farewell to Dr Chaudhury (Mathematics), Mr Speirs and Mr Penfold (both Economics) as well as Mrs Rogers (French). I know there is a feature on Dr C, Mr M and Mr P in this issue. Mrs Wilson (Bursar) has also left us. We wish them all well in the future. Looking forward, we will have a new website in place by the end of these long holidays and a new Management Information System is on the way. We continue to invest in improved IT facilities and in the general fabric of the College. Our plans for a purpose built Science Centre are progressing (planning, costs etc) and I hope to give you further concrete information in the
next issue. 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 please think of coming to see the College; we would love to see you but please let us know beforehand: 02086885284 or by e-mail to alumni@ctc.ac.uk May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy holiday period.
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Do you recognise the three teachers from this classic photograph ?
(Find the answer on the back cover)
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CATCHING UP WITH FORMER STAFF Charl Burger worked at CTC from 2003-2006 in the Economics and Accounting Department
Charl and his wife HelĂŠne, a music teacher with their two daughters, Annalene (6) and Vida (3) . They are pictured at their home, close to the sea in Somerset West, Western Cape. Keep in touch by visiting www.ctc.ac.uk/Alumni or
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What do you most miss from your days at CTC ? I miss working with students. Also, and above anything else, I miss my dear colleagues: Heather Hayes and the late Chantal Lau and Eric Hurter; the administration staff (Nicky, Ann and Pamela with whom I shared many a joke), my Christian Fellowship colleagues, John What have you like least about working at Rodgers and Gill and Graham Wood. I CTC? Marking all those lengthy Economics remember how the Math Marys (Gerskowich assignments! At least it gave me insight in the and Pillai) could argue the solution to a difficult problem so fiercely. The laughs in the staff minds of my students… room. (All the staff were lovely people!) Which students or class do you remember most clearly from your time at CTC, and I shall always treasure my time at CTC, for it why? was a special time. I felt loved there. A big An unfair question! There were so many unique family. Oh, and the daily walk from the station and special individuals… But I have to mention to the College through the park (and the one Evelyn, a bright Chinese student, who rarely evening when the gate was already locked on expressed any form of emotion. (She had never the way to the station and I climbed over it, only before screamed in her life, not even a shout for to rip my suit trousers to pieces!) joy!) Not having been exposed to so many wondrous cultures before, this South African What have you been up to since leaving found it rare. I encouraged her to vent more CTC? I left teaching altogether to pursue opportunities often, something she subsequently did in class in the private sector. While still in the UK, I when we had different views of what the correct worked at an accounting firm in the City of answer was, to the great amusement of her London and subsequently for an agent of my fellow pupils. Igor Burlakov is another student I current employer, a South African company, remember fondly. Mischievous. Challenging. who kept offices in Reigate. But a great gentleman. I transferred to South Africa, my home country, What is your most amusing/significant late in 2007 to work at PayProp’s head office memory of your time at CTC? situated in Stellenbosch, a beautiful town in the My most significant memory was the fantastic heart of the Cape Winelands. Then, after a brief mentor that Mrs Heather Hayes was to me. She stint of almost 2 years of managing a local office was a brilliant tutor and an excellent head of of Moore Stephens Chartered Accountants, I department. Her calm demeanor and the way returned yet again to PayProp, where I am still she revered her daily task was an inspiration to the General Manager. live up to. What did you most enjoy about working at CTC? CTC is an extremely stimulating working environment. The excellent and dedicated teaching faculty, the diverse cultures, the small class size, the homely atmosphere and the brilliant resources all added to it.
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SPOTLIGHT ON FORMER STUDENTS
Name and nationality An Do (Thanh Thanh An Do), Vietnamese
During which years were you a student at CTC? 2011-2013
What have you been up to since leaving CTC? After leaving CTC, I came back to Vietnam for a gap year. During this year, I learned a third language (Mandarin) and took an art course for 9 months. I also helped CTC in an alumni event in Hanoi, Vietnam where I was an MC. In September 2014, I returned to London to start my degree in Economics at University College London (UCL).
Since then, I have been
involved in a few student societies and become the President of the Vietnamese Society at UCL. I have also been working part-time around campus, while looking for career opportunities in the financial industry. At the moment, I am working hard to revise for my exams! I cannot wait until the summer starts so that I can enjoy my holiday on a Vietnamese beach!
Are you in regular contact with any other CTC alumni? If so, who? This really depends on what ‘regular contact’ means. I am Facebook friends/Instagram followers with a lot of CTC friends. However, I hardly meet most of them, as not everyone is in London. But there are a few Vietnamese people from CTC who are in my course at UCL.
Most memorable/funniest moment at CTC? I remember lunchtime at CTC when my friends and I would gather at our table. There were usually 10 of us at a table and everyone was always joking and laughing. My friends would rather sit on each other’s laps than move to a different table.
Keep in touch by visiting www.ctc.ac.uk/Alumni or
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Nellie Morris By Dr John Rodgers
On 27th March 2015, a number of us from CTC attended the funeral of Nellie Morris. Apparently she was baptised “Ellen”, but we always called her Nellie and in fact that is the name given in her passport. As this is just a short piece, I want to focus on the two features that make Nellie’s period of service at CTC so remarkable. Length of Service Nellie served the college for 41 years. This is a truly outstanding achievement which is unlikely ever to be surpassed. Even after she finally retired, at the age of 71, she continued to return to “fill in” for absent colleagues. So, for example, we would go down to the canteen for lunch and there would be Nellie, ready to serve us. Quality of Service Nellie served (“served” is a most appropriate word to use in Nellie’s case) the college exceptionally well during all those years. She did the cleaning, served meals for the staff and much more. Nothing was too much trouble for her. And the work was always done with a smile. I know this might sound clichéd or even as if I’m writing through rose-tinted spectacles . . . but I’m not. Ask anyone else who knew her and they will agree with me. I’ve asked around for any specific memories of Nellie. Anecdotes are hard to come by. The reason is that Nellie never did anything to draw attention to herself. Quietly and without a fuss, she did the work that needed to be done. She certainly finds a central position in the gallery of college “treasures”.
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A Trip Down Memory Lane with David Wilson
Yogesh Chhabra - CTC’s First Student from Myanmar (Burma) As a charitable educational trust, CTC is committed to offering scholarships to outstanding students from countries where opportunities for high-quality further and higher education are limited. Myanmar is one such country which has suffered for decades under stifling military rule. Yogesh grew up in Myanmar during a tumultuous time in it’s history and tried his hand at a range of careers before entering university, including working as a car mechanic, a tourist guide and as crew for a mobile disco. In October 1996, he had just started a degree course in Engineering at Yangon Institute of Technology when he heard about a seminar on overseas study that I was giving at the Brirtish Council in Yangon. I was so impressed by Yogesh that I offered him a 100% scholarship for an 18 -month A-level course starting in January 1997. Yogesh studied five A-levels in Applied Maths, Chemistry, Economics, Pure Maths and Physics, achieving AAAAA grades in Aug 1998 and a place at Oxford University where he obtained a
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Master’s degree in Engineering, Economics and Management in 2002. After graduating from Oxford, Yogesh began a career in finance on Deutsche Bank’s graduate training programme and - apart from a short period of work with J P Morgan - has worked for Deutsche Bank ever since.
Yogesh currently is the Head of Deutsche Bank’s Asset & Wealth Management’s dbSelect team in the Asia Pacific region. dbSelect is a market-leading investment platform for liquid hedge funds, and Yogesh and his “team” of almost 250 traders manage over 5 billion Euros in assets. Since Yogesh’s time, CTC has welcomed over 100 students from Myanmar, and almost all of them have gone on to top UK universities and rewarding careers.
Yogesh as he is today.
This summer we say farewell to three retiring teachers, Dr Munawar Chaudhry, Mike Speirs and Mike Penfold Kingston Grammar school for a further 18 years. After this extensive experience in secondary schools, Munawar came to CTC in 2005 to focus his talents on teaching A level students. He quickly established himself as an invaluable member of the department, with the knowledge and expertise to take on any of the huge variety of courses we offer in Pure Mathematics, Mechanics and Statistics. As well as being a skilled and dedicated teacher, Munawar has used his extensive IT skills to good effect in helping to develop the Mathematics area of the CTC portal, regularly updating the resources available for the benefit of all tutors in the department.
Dr Munawar Chaudhry
Munawar is highly respected by all his colleagues for his integrity, humility and quiet professionalism. Many CTC students over the last ten years have every reason to be grateful to him for their excellent results and he has made an outstanding contribution to the department and to the college.
Munawar Chaudhry, who has been a stalwart of the Maths department at CTC, is retiring at the end We all wish him a long and happy retirement. of the academic year 2014-2015 after a long and distinguished teaching career. Munawar completed a doctorate in ‘Functional Analysis’ at Glasgow University before teaching at St Ignatius’ College, Enfield, for 7 years and at
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Gill Gardiner (Head of Maths). June 2015.
Mike Penfold joined CTC in 2008 on a part-time basis. He has been an invaluable asset to the Economics department since then, due to his knowledge, leadership qualities and supportive attitude. He nearly retired in 2014 but stayed on to help the in-coming Head of the Economics Department ,Darren Wilkins. Mike’s well deserved retirement will allow him to spend more time in his much loved garden and allotment.
Mike during his own school days, second row third from the left.
Mike Speirs has been at CTC since 2006. He has proved himself to be an outstanding teacher which has been reflected in his classes obtaining consistently excellent results. We are all going to really miss his cheerful and positive attitude around the college and we wish him well for his retirement.
Mike having a man-hug from fellow teacher Gianni Merone
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The teachers featured in the photograph are Mrs Pillai, Dr Woods and Mr Speirs