Old Pangbournian Nora Shields joined Pangbourne in 2017 in Year 9.

Describe your roles as both a Drama and Academic Scholar...

As a Drama Scholar my main role was really taking part in College productions. I spent a lot of time helping in the Drama department wherever I could. A lot of the time was spent helping younger years learn the basics of drama and acting.

As an Academic Scholar, I took part in as much of academic life as I could juggle. It could be quite busy, but it was fun and I usually just helped younger years with their prep (homework) when I had free time.

What life skills did these roles teach you?

Being a Drama Scholar taught me a lot about public speaking skills and self-confidence. It also helped me learn a lot of social skills, such as recognising tone of voice and subtle body language.

As an Academic Scholar it taught me to recognise my limits. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to perform the best academically, but I learnt that I might not always be able to be the best in the room but I could still excel.

How did the College help you to develop as an individual?

Being at Pangbourne definitely made me resilient. It's a very full schedule, but I had a lot of great emotional support from the staff, particularly when I got diagnosed with ADHD. It made me question a lot about myself, but with support from the teachers, I was able to learn that this diagnosis didn't change who I was as a person, it just made sure that I got the support that I needed. It helped me a lot in accepting myself.

What are some of your Pangbourne highlights?

Definitely the Pangbourne College productions. I was lucky enough to do five consecutive productions and every time it was so wonderful to work with so many other people who love drama. I also really loved captaining the 2nd hockey team in my final year. It was really fun to lead a team full of really, really lovely girls.

I also absolutely loved Girls’ Rugby. In my Upper Sixth year we were able to bring it back on the roster and I would highly recommend any Senior Girls joining the school to start doing Girls’ Rugby because it's really, really fun!

What did you find most challenging during your time at Pangbourne?

Probably lockdown learning. I found it really difficult to concentrate in online sessions, particularly when starting my A Levels which were a lot more content based than GCSE.

How did you overcome these challenges?

I was able to go to extra online sessions that were made available by my teachers. I was also able to set up separate appointments, so all my teachers made sure I felt confident on the new content and made sure I was feeling okay.

What makes Pangbourne College unique?

I would say what makes Pangbourne unique is definitely the family atmosphere. There aren't too many people here, less than 500, so you often get to know everyone in your year or everyone in your house very well. You're often making a lot of lifelong friends.

What are your plans for life after College?

I hope to study Marine Biology at Southampton University and then move on to do Marine Mammal Zoology and work in conservation.