It was the first time since 2020 that we have been able to hold this ever-popular event in person and the fantastic turnout of U5 and Sixth Form pupils from LEH, Hampton and partner schools proved what a welcome return it was.

Of the 52 delegates, between them representing an impressive range of careers and professions, 36 of them were ex-pupils who returned to LEH to give back to their old school and answer an eclectic range of eager questions.

Nicky Hampstead, Head of Higher Education and Careers, said: “Thank you so much to all the delegates who gave up their time to encourage and inspire our pupils. We’ve had some fantastic feedback from them and from their parents too. They all said how helpful it was to talk to people first-hand, especially when they’ve been a pupil here themselves, as it makes their achievements seem that bit more attainable. It was also great to see pupils seizing the opportunity to develop some of life’s really useful transferable skills such as good communication and the ability to network.”

Mariya from U5 said: "The Careers Evening was enormously informative. The visitors were not only extremely knowledgeable about their various domains but also very willing to answer our several (and very likely mundane) questions. There was a wide range of delegates from all sorts of fields, from fashion to finance, not limiting us to a single career path or restricting us if we haven’t quite decided yet. Thank you to the visitors for lending us their expertise and providing us with such a brilliant insight into the working world. Everyone seemed truly passionate about their jobs and made them seem ideal. The only problem? How to pick?!"

It wasn’t just the students who found the evening worthwhile.  Shammah Banerjee, Class of 2015, who is a Commissioning Editor at Penguin Random House, was one of the many alumnae full of praise for the event. She said: “I really enjoyed myself! It was so fun to be back in school after eight years and catch up some of my old teachers, as well as speaking with the students about their career ambitions and what they’re passionate about.”

Shammah was happy to help out as it was while attending a similar event when she was a pupil here that she managed to get her first work experience placement in publishing. “It was bizarre but really fun to be back on the other side of the table. It made me realise how much my learning at LEH set me up for success in my chosen career, and also how supportive the careers team at LEH was when I was there and how much that is still the case.”

She is passionate about encouraging others to consider a career in publishing: “If you love books, it is such a rewarding industry to work in. My job is very creative, allows me to work with talented authors, but also think beyond publication to the readers who will be buying the book. Every book is essentially a commercial product, so it’s not just thinking about the text but everything that goes around it: the design of the book cover, the marketing campaign, the other books in the market.”

Her role involves coming up with innovative ideas for new books and working with authors to make them happen, as well as reading proposals and manuscripts form agents and authors who want to be published. She adds: “My favourite book that I’ve worked on so far is a book about the etymology of weather words (think Mark Forsyth’s Etymologicon crossed with Fifty Words for Snow). The author is incredibly talented and witty, the illustrator is brilliant, and it’s been a really fun book to work on. This one was a particularly gratifying project since it was an idea that I came up with that is now actually being published. It isn’t published yet but will be hitting the shelves in 2024!”

Thank you so much to Shammah and to all the alumnae and other delegates who attended the Careers Evening.