Wrexham student bucks languages trend with offer from world-leading university

A COLEG CAMBRIA student has polyglot a place at one of the world’s leading universities.

Emma Hinde has received an offer to study Spanish and German at Oxford from October.

Emma, 18, from Wrexham, also received interest from Russell Group universities but has her heart set on attending the elite institution.

Her natural flair for languages became apparent as a pupil at St Joseph’s High School, which in tandem with a love for travel led her in this direction.

However, she admits that while her future may lie overseas, the here and now is what is important, especially given the challenges of 2020.

“I have no definitive path and will see where life takes me, but I could look at becoming a translator, writer, teacher or any number of careers with this degree,” said Emma, a keen musician who plays piano and flute.

“My family and I visited Oxford for an open day last year and were blown away by how incredible it was; I never really believed I would ever receive an offer.

“When that arrived, we were all shocked and surprised, but everyone has been very supportive and believes I can do it.”

Parents Lesley and Mike, and sister Jenny, were all “thrilled” for Emma, as are staff at Coleg Cambria Yale.

As part of the Seren Network – a Welsh Government initiative designed to support Wales’ brightest sixth form learners to meet their academic potential and gain places at the UK’s top universities – she had access to extra support and guidance when applying, which proved invaluable.

And that was especially vital given the unprecedented circumstances facing all educators at present.

“Classes have been online for most of the last year, which has been difficult at times because there is no substitute for having face to face dialogue and picking up different facets of speech and grammar when learning languages,” said Emma, currently studying A Levels in Spanish, English Literature and Psychology.

“But with the help of the college and my lecturers and language tutors I have managed to progress and get to this point, which is brilliant.

“They made me believe while getting into Oxford would be difficult it is achievable, which has not traditionally been the case for previous generations of students from this region – I can’t wait to get started.”

Gareth Jones, Curriculum Director of General Education at Coleg Cambria Yale, echoed those points.

With a sharp decline in the number of teenagers opting for languages at school, he is pleased to see a reversal in that trend.

“Congratulations to Emma, she is a hard-working and engaging student who deserves every success,” he said.

“I hope her journey will inspire other students interested in learning languages to join us at Coleg Cambria, because nationwide there has been an alarming decrease in numbers – we want to change that.”

Gareth added: “We have shown in past years Cambria is a college that raises aspirations and can help learners realise their dreams, whatever they might be.

“At what is a challenging time for all students we will continue to be there with support and in constant dialogue to ensure no stone is left unturned in helping them achieve their goals.”