At the annual CIFE Academic Awards Presentation held at the House of Lords on 23 March, Baroness Perry of Southwark presented the Gold Award for academic excellence to Xenia Dethlefs, last year’s graduate of Cambridge Centre for Sixth Form Studies (CCSS).
Xenia, originally from Italy, joined CCSS in January 2009 and, in the space of just 18 months, achieved outstanding A-level results – four A*s and an A. She is an exceptional young woman: a talented mathematician who is fluent in three languages – English, German and Japanese, and more than competent in French.
In Italy, she received a scholarship during the two years she studied there, and at CCSS she was awarded the Paul Redhead Prize for an exceptional achievement and commitment in the academic and wider life of the College. She also took part fully in the College’s extracurricular events as a member of the Debating Team, of the Global Issues Forum and the Student Council. She is now in her first year at University College London, reading economics.
‘For me everything comes down to opportunities, and how you embrace them,' explains Xenia. 'Embracing opportunities can only be a pleasure. The people who earn my admiration are not those who start out in favourable circumstances, but those who create chances for themselves. Personally, I am extremely grateful to my parents who have always invested in my education, to my teachers who have always given me every support and to institutions such as CIFE that reward students’ hard work.'
Find out more about Cambridge Centre for Sixth Form Studies.