Tomos took part in our Summer School programme and it opened his eyes to the opportunities far from where he grew up, and going to a completely new place with new people. Tomos is in his final year at Durham University and shared his memories of the programme and how much he’s fallen in love with his subject.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

“I am from a relatively small town in North Wales called Caernarfon and I attended state comprehensive schools for the entirety of my education. My family didn’t have the funds to send me to a private school and there are no grammar schools in my area, so my secondary school had a whole host of people from varying backgrounds. I remember feeling left out for a lot of my childhood and teenage years, simply because a lot of my friends came from money whilst I didn’t. Not being able to enjoy the same experiences as my friends because I had to work the weekends and the holidays whilst they didn’t have to often left me feeling unhappy in the situation.

My hometown is a rather insular community and, being queer, I stood out quite a bit – I remember that for the entirety of secondary school, my only goal was to get good A-Levels so that I could move as far away as possible and do what I loved.”

How did you hear about the programme?

“I heard about the Sutton Trust through the Seren initiative ran by the Welsh Government. I believe I was in the first cohort of students to be accepted onto the programme from my school and it definitely set me up to aim high for University.”

Did you know what you wanted to do for a career before university?

“I hadn’t thought about it much. In all honesty, I never thought beyond university because I had always struggled with my mental health and didn’t really see myself making it to university. However, when I attended the Summer School, it gave me the hope that I /could/ do it and ENJOY it. It gave me my passion for Academia and writing as a whole and I’m now planning on pursuing a PhD in Theology! (Or, that’s the goal once I do a Masters degree!)”

Can you tell us what you remember about your programme? What stands out?

“I remember writing my essay for the Theology summer school and falling madly in love with both writing and the subject. I spent so much time on reading and writing that paper because I just loved everything about what I was doing. It’s an extremely fond memory.

I also remember the formal dinner we had in Grey College – I remember sitting with my friend Caiti and just having the most wonderful time chatting and eating great food – it felt like I was in a fancy restaurant for the first time in my life!

I remember singing ‘Anthem’ from the Musical ‘Chess’ during the open mic night (in both Welsh and English) and my cohort cheering me on as the song progressed. It’s such a wonderful memory and the whole programme felt like one big bubble of fun and support.”

What are you up to now?

“I have just completed my year abroad studies at Boston College, USA! I am excited to return to Durham University to finish my degree and write a dissertation in Queer Theology.”

If, like Tomos, you’d like to share your story with us – just get in touch with the alumni team via [email protected].