ALUMNI NEWS

“CTC has

played a very

important role

and changed

my entire life

and without it I

would never be

enjoying what I

am doing now”

Henry Yam (left

1985)

In This Issue

We catch up with

former staff and

students

Report from the 2013

Awards Ceremony

Review of the past

year at CTC

Principal’s Welcome

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this first edition of CTC’s Alumni Newsletter. It represents the College’s ongoing commitment to maintaining contact with our former students, to reminding them of the role they have played in our splendid history and

achievements and to updating them on present-day life at CTC many months, or in most cases years, since they graduated. Wikipedia, an online resource not around when most of CTC’s alumni were at the College, defines an alumnus as “a graduate of a school, college, or university” or “a former member and employee”, a clear reminder, should one be needed, of the importance of everybody associated with CTC these past 56 years. For this reason, you will notice the contribution of a former member of staff in this inaugural edition of the Alumni Newsletter. When Roger Osborne founded the “Cambridge Warlingham Tutors” in 1958 he started small, providing individual tuition at his Surrey village home. What a pleasure it would be to hear from one of his early students as a result of this Newsletter’s launch, quite possibly grandparents themselves now but with clear memories like all of us, I suspect, of the crucial part their old college played in their lives. Well, whether you were here in 1958 or left in 2013, or any point in between, this Newsletter is for you and we hope you enjoy its first edition. We invite you to keep in contact with us at alumni@ctc.ac.uk and of course with each other, and to make any comments or suggestions with future editions in mind. Welcome to CTC’s Alumni Newsletter and welcome back to your old college! Mario Di Clemente

CTC Alumni Newsletter Issue 1 January 2014

Name and subject taught

Janice Everett, teaching all the members of staff how to do things my way! (With mixed results)

During which years were you a

member of staff at CTC?

Bursar from 1987 to 2013

How have you been spending your

time since retiring?

Planning and refurbishing my new house in Wokingham

What did you like most about

working at CTC?

The variety of jobs that I did - timetable, exams, accounts, company secretary, CAS issuing etc meant that no one day was like another and there was always more government legislation to learn!

What did you like least about working at CTC?

Having to chase students for their exam entries was frustrating and could make me cross!

Which student or class do you remember most clearly from your time at CTC, and why?

The student I remember most clearly is Graham Hunt from 1987-89. He came with quite moderate O level results and left with good A level results. He was never late for a lesson and never missed a single lesson. I have seen quite a lot of him since then and followed his career closely. The fact that he is my son has absolutely no bearing on that! I also remember some of the family groups that have attended - the Badri family, the Sanusi family, several Tan families and many Patel families. I have sent bills to more than three thousand sets of parents over the years.

Last day at CTC

What is your most amusing memory of your

time at CTC?

I have laughed so much over the years, usually at stories that Mrs Brown has told me, that I will leave it to her, when she retires, to relate them.

What’s in a name?

We hope that you will want to send us material for inclusion in future editions of the alumni newsletter. After all, it is your news that your fellow alumni want to read about. Why not start right away? We would like the alumni newsletter to have a suitable and catchy title, and we would very much welcome your suggestions. So, if you have an idea for the title of the CTC alumni newsletter, please send it to alumni@ctc.ac.uk

Selfie in new home

Name and nationality

Ms Thu Hang NGUYEN Vietnamese (and British – naturalised in

2008)

During which years were you a student at CTC?

1995-1997 academic year.

What have you been up to since leaving CTC?

After attending CTC, I progressed my student life at Nottingham University and then went on to work

in the insurance industry for a Lloyds broker. I then married and spent 10 years living in London

before emigrating back to Vietnam where I am currently based with 4 beautiful children.

Most difficult thing to get used to when you first arrived at CTC?

There were many things to get used to all at once – English food, English accents, English weather,

home sickness, and above all, a new way of life and studying.

Most valuable lesson learned at CTC?

Hard work will pay off. It was one of the hardest times of my life but also one of the most valuable.

CTC is where I learnt to be independent, take control of my life and, above all, it was the place where

I met great friends for life!

Which tutor do you remember most clearly from your time at CTC, and why?

I remember clearly all 3 of my tutors at CTC, Mrs Hayes (Economics), Mr Talbot (History) and Mr Lee

(Maths). Not only did they enthusiastically share what they know, they

always made me feel well looked after. I would thus like to take this

opportunity to thank them all for being such great tutors whom I was

so fortunate to have.

Additionally, a special thanks to Mr David Wilson for making CTC

become such an important part of my life and Mrs Pamela Cunniffe for

welcoming me into her home, where I was always treated like family.

What do you most remember from your time at CTC?

Enjoying the most delicious instant noodles ever for lunch at £1 per

week !

Name and nationality

Punam Karambelkar

During which years were you a student at CTC?

2003-2004

What have you been up to since leaving CTC?

I graduated in 2004 and moved to China in the hope of exploring the

world’s most upcoming nation. I lived in China for nearly two years

teaching English as a foreign language. A massive highlight was

being a part of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

From there I moved to India for a year. I completed a Masters program in international comparative law

in Australia, during which time I was invited to join the United Nations as an intern for the Headquarters

Committee on Contracts and Procurement. I returned to the UK to complete the LPC course which

would enable me to take the first few steps in becoming a qualified lawyer.

I joined the University of Law and have since completed work for the likes of PwC and Quilter Cheviot

on ad hoc compliance projects. I am working in an in-house legal team at a pharmaceutical company

where I deal with cross jurisdictional transactions, mergers, corporate governance and procurement.

Most difficult thing to get used to when you first arrived at CTC?

The weekly tests and time management. Being in small classrooms you didn’t have the option to not do

your homework and get away with it!

Most valuable lesson learned at CTC?

I learnt to challenge myself in a competitive environment. A sound grounding in politics teaches you not

just to care about your environment and the way you are governed, but to accept and understand the

flaws in your society. Although going on peaceful protests for the things that you believe in does not

always get results, it shouldn’t stop you from trying.

Which tutor do you remember most clearly from your time at CTC, and why?

Mr John Norman! Mr Norman taught me both Law and Politics with

amazing enthusiasm and patience . He was also someone who made

students think for themselves, helped developed their opinions and let

them come to their own conclusions

What do you most remember from your time at CTC?

Being told off for having a snow ball fight in the car park (still not sure if it

was for health and safety reasons or for the fact that all the teachers used

to park their cars there!)

Awards

Ceremony 2013

The annual Cambridge Tutors Awards Ceremony was this year held at the Croydon Park Hotel on Saturday 23rd November.

CTC Principal, Mario Di Clemente, took the opportunity to thank all June 2013 leavers for the contribution they had made to the College. He also congratulated them for their efforts, enthusiasm, commitment and achievements. The awards and prizes were presented by Mario Di Clemente, Chris Drew (Vice Principal), John Rodgers (Senior Tutor), Patricia Brown (Head of Welfare) and Robin Worthington (Chair of the Trust Council). Students at one of the country’s top performing A level colleges collected their exam certificates and subject prize awards. Sixteen students achieved four A*/A grades. All students and tutors were congratulated on their hard work in achieving such success. This year’s subject prizes were presented by the Vice Principal and the MacCarthy Awards (awarded to students with four A grades or better) were presented by the Chair of the Trust Council. As well as academic awards, a growing range of activities was recognised through our Extra-Curricular Awards. These rewarded participation and achievements relating to Sport, The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Art and The College Magazine. Congratulations to the students on their achievements at CTC!

All photographs from the evening can be viewed on the CTC Facebook Page

2013 MacCarthy

Award Winners

Phuong Trang Cao

Yu Yang Chang

Kay Hian Adrian Chew

Rui-Ernn Natassia Chin

Thanh Thanh An Do

Emily KO YIiu Hui

Wei Yi Sean Lee

Ian Lee Chee Shyan

Jiaxin Luo

Hasan Muhammed

Huy Hoai Nam Nguyen

Calvin TAN JIAN Xiong

Re Gin Than

Bryan Thor

Shuai Yao

Zihao Zhang

Extra-Curricular Awards

Sports Prize Winners

Football:

Sportsmanship Award Eeruj Shaikh

Most Improved Player Danill Kalembet

Basketball:

Sportsmanship Award Sikai Sun

Most Improved Player Hiu Kwan Chung

Outstanding Contribution to College Life

Bryan Thor & Yu Yang Chang

D of E Award Bryan Thor

All-round contribution

Art Special Award Trung Vu Nguyen

Winner of the Rector's Prize at the Royal College of Art

College Magazine: Mrs Sandra Carroll

(for her all-round contribution)

Subject Award Winners

Accounting Korlong Lee

Art Thu Giang An

Biology Emily Ko

Chemistry Mahul Patel

Economics Yodsapon Chirawut

EFL Sikai Sun

English

Literature

Amina Haider

Further

Mathematics

Patipan Saengdwean

Government &

Politics

Ksenija Kusnercuka

History Adrian Chew

ICT Mihir Amin

Mathematics Ngoc Minh Bui

Physics Vong Panha Huot

Pure

Mathematics

Nattaphong Thipsakunpanya & Zihao Zhang

Statistics Jiaxin Luo

A look back at the past year of CTC

January

Students from around the world arrive in Croydon

deep in snow to begin their A level course

February

Maths students excel in UKMT Individual Maths

Challenges

March

CTC students collect four awards at the CIFE

Award Ceremony at the House of Lords

April

Principal visits Regent Elite Academy in Yangon,

CTC’s partner school in Myanmar

May

Students raise money for “Save the Children” with

a Football Tournament for staff and students

June

Thu An Giang and Alina Aliyeva have their artwork

exhibited at the Royal Academy A level Exhibition.

A look back at CTC in 2013

Read More

Read More

Read More

July

The college hosts its first Summer School in

partnership with Academic Summer

August

A level and GCSE students achieve outstanding

results

September

Start of a new academic year with students from

17 different countries joining the college

October

CTC opens its new China Office in Ningbo

November

CTC holds its annual Awards Ceremony at the

Croydon Park Hotel

December

Students produce winter edition of Student

Magazine “Endeavour”

Read More

Read More

Read More

Keep in Touch

CTC London

Water Tower Hill

Croydon

Surrey

CR0 5SX

020 8688 5284

alumni@ctc.ac.uk

Visit us on the web

at

www.ctc.ac.uk

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Students try to put on a brave face during their last day at CTC

The next

issue will be

published in

Summer 2014

From left to right - Hang Nguyen, Thu Quynh Pham, Thuy Anh Nguyen and

Tri Mai Hoang, who were among our first Vietnamese students

Three particularly exciting

alumni events will take

p l a c e l a t e r t h i s

month. The current

Principal and former

Principal, David Wilson,

will be among those

hosting reunion dinners in

Singapore on Friday

January 17th, in Ho Chi

Minh City on Saturday

January 18th and in Hanoi

on Monday January 20th.

We are confident that all

three events will be very

enjoyable occasions

which wil l provide

welcome opportunities to

catch up with old friends

and to exchange CTC

stories and memories.