Rewriting the history book

Transatlantic success the family Welcome to

for a King’s OV

For the majority of our pupils, their school days come to an end when they leave our Sixth Form at the age of 18. However, in many respects, their journey with King’s is just beginning.

A Day in the Life with Immie Gillgrass

Immie Gillgrass left King’s Worcester in 2020 to take up a place at Wake Forest University in North Carolina to read Health and Exercise Science with a Minor in Counselling and Environmental Studies.

An extremely talented hockey player, Immie played for the Under 18 England team before leaving King’s, and was also awarded Junior Female Sports Person of the Year in the City of Worcester Sport Awards in 2018.

We caught up with Immie to hear what she had to say about her time at King’s and to understand how it led to where she is today. What does a typical day look like for you?

We have hockey practice from 9am-9:30am, six days a week. After practice I have a gym session and then my classes begin at 11am and last until 3pm. I then grab lunch, take a 45-minute nap, and do my homework. Some evenings I have a session in the Chemistry lab too.

On Thursdays we normally travel to our away games ready to play on Friday and Sunday. They can be all over the country, from up in Iowa City to Louisville, Kentucky and Boston.

What’s your favourite bit of your day?

Training! I wouldn’t have travelled 3500 miles from home if I didn’t absolutely love hockey. Why did you want to study abroad?

I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world. This was an amazing opportunity for me to experience a different country and culture, whilst studying at one of the most prestigious universities in America and, of course, doing the sport that I love. King’s Hawford awoke my interest for exploring; I developed a real passion for the outward-bound activities and travelling to different parts of the country for overnight trips. But it also taught me about independence and gave me the confidence to do these kind of things. As a former pupil of King’s Hawford and King’s Senior, what three words would you use to describe King’s?

Family. Caring. Supportive. What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?

From my current coach at Wake Forest, who celebrated her 30th year coaching here earlier this month, “When you can’t control other people’s reactions or words, control your own personal emotions and reactions.”

In terms of role models, who has inspired you and why?

My parents, and Mrs Miller-Symonds (King’s Senior School Director of Sport). From a young age, my parents gave me the freedom to choose what sport I liked, what musical instruments to play, all the way through to what subjects I should take for GCSE and A-Level. King’s Hawford nourished that too, especially in the earlier years with all the opportunities to embrace Art and outdoor learning.

Mrs Miller-Symonds was my coach at King’s and she was also in my House, which made it easy to talk to her. She is an amazing player both on and off the field, so if she critiqued my performance I always had great respect for her opinion. What advice would you give to a young person hoping to study abroad?

Go for it! It gets hard sometimes; I’m currently in my fifth month away from home and my family, but they’re only a phone call away! It’s an extraordinary experience that you’ll never forget. As our pupils walk proudly out of College Hall for the last time, they officially become Old Vigornians, or OVs. The OV network is a warm and welcoming community that plays a significant role in both current school life and beyond, as Head of Alumni Relations, Sophie Borrillo-McLellan explains,

“We find that OVs are very generous with their time and enjoy giving back to the School where they can.”

For those still in school, this means an exciting range of visits and talks from OVs, covering a diverse range of subjects and themes. Our Sixth Form pupils also benefit from specialist sessions with OVs, focussing on university applications, apprenticeships, gap years, business skills and much more. There have been many examples of OVs supporting individual pupils too.

“Sometimes it’s about connecting a pupil who has a particular interest with an OV who works in the relevant field or sector, “ continues Sophie. “It’s a powerful connection, and has led to some incredible opportunities for our pupils.”

For the OVs, there’s plenty of support too. The Development and Alumni Relation Team coordinate a bustling programme of professional meet-ups and

school reunions, as well as helping to put individuals in touch with each other. The team also produce various publications, including a weekly newsletter, to share both school and OV news.

Seeing OVs come together, whether it’s to reminisce about their school days, share career advice with pupils, or support each other in a particular industry, is a real joy and just goes to show what King’s is all about. It really is a network for life.

Sophie Borrillo-McLellan, Head of Alumni Relations

Senior School and Sixth Form (Ages 11 – 18)

T 01905 721700

Nursery and Prep School (Ages 2 – 11)

T 01905 354906

Kindergarten and Prep School (Ages 2 – 11)

T 01905 451292