My name is Gaurika Singh and I am a final year A level student at Brampton College. I will be going to Tufts University in Boston, USA, come this autumn to pursue my further education.
I am an international swimmer for my country Nepal, and have been swimming competitively since the age of nine. I was fortunate enough to have been able to represent Nepal at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and was the youngest athlete at just thirteen years old. Subsequently, I have taken part in two World Championships and have also been selected for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games scheduled for July 2021. I have won 4 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals at the South Asian Games held in 2016 and 2019 for my country.
I am also a Goodwill Ambassador for two charities in Nepal- Maiti Nepal which focuses on the rescue and rehabilitation of women and children who have been trafficked, abused, and abandoned as well as Santi Education Initiative- a charity that builds schools in rural Nepal.
I currently train at Camden Swiss Cottage Swimming Club. This entails 8 sessions per week with 4 of those before classes (4.45 am alarm call) as well as land training sessions with a personal trainer.
This is where Brampton College has been such an amazing choice for me. I was looking for a sixth form college which would not only help me achieve my academic goals but also afford me the flexibility to maintain my rigorous training schedule.
High academia and flexibility aside, the small class sizes and quality of the tutors make for great personalised learning. Knowing that I can communicate with my teachers about any issues, and having the backup of tutorials when the need arises, has been invaluable. In December 2019, I travelled to Kathmandu, Nepal to participate in the 13th South Asian Games.That meant missing almost three weeks of school- almost unheard of at that level! However, as I was able to regularly touch base with my tutors, I recovered quickly. I even had a neat pile of notes waiting for me when I returned so I wouldn’t fall behind.
During the last lockdown, when pools shut in England for four months, I travelled back to Nepal to swim as pools there remained open. Again, it hardly impacted upon my preparations for the finals as I was able to attend classes online. The college also arranged for me to sit some tests at the local British School under invigilated conditions. The kind of support and understanding Brampton has provided me is invaluable, especially since I cannot afford to miss training for months on end with the Olympics around the corner.
I feel being at Brampton has allowed me to grow as a person and helped me to prepare for the next phase of my life. I have learnt to better manage my time and, in many ways, own my academic career. I look back at the last two years and I’m amazed at how quickly the time has gone by. Many lessons learned and many relations forged, I look forward to the future knowing that there couldn’t have been any better preparation.
