Aiming high wins Michael and award (From Romsey Advertiser)

Aiming high wins Michael and award

4:50pm Tuesday 13th July 2010 in Basingstoke By Emily Roberts

A BASINGSTOKE student has been rewarded for his ambition to aim higher after taking part in a university programme.

Michael Stonehouse, 13, was chosen by his teachers at Everest Community College, in Oxford Way, Popley, to attend the course at The University of Winchester where he was paired up with an undergraduate student mentor.

Every three weeks, he visited his mentor, along with fellow pupils from Everest and five other schools across Hampshire, to learn more about university life on the Government’s Aim Higher programme.

Michael, from Popley, received a special award from the Aim Higher team after they felt he had made the greatest amount of progress of all the students taking part in the four-month scheme.

Geraldine Grayson, careers co-ordinator at Everest, said the programme had helped students who might not have considered university as an option, but had the potential to study for a degree.

She added: “We were asked to choose 30 to 35 students from Year Nine and 10 who have the long-term potential to go on to higher education.

“They get a feel of what it’s like to go to university in every way, from social to financial. It’s really successful. Michael wasn’t sure about the course to begin with but it’s made him believe that he can aspire to higher education.”

Michael, who hopes to go on to study an information technology course at university, said: “The course was fun and I got on really well with my mentor. She helped me with my options for GCSE and listened to my questions.

“At the start, I thought university was going to be boring, but now I think it’s going to be fun.

“I knew I could get a better job by going to university but I didn’t realise to what extent. I was surprised and shocked to win the trophy.”