Before going up to Newnham College, Cambridge, I was at St Gabriel’s for 14 very happy years.  I graduated in 2012 and am now pursuing a career in law, following a training contract with Linklaters in the City.

It is the brilliant teachers at St Gabriel’s that I really remember – always prepared to go the extra mile.  But it wasn’t all just work, I played in the netball, hockey and rounders teams, took part in the dance shows for many years and played the clarinet.

This set me up to represent Newnham College in the rowing and hockey teams, as well as becoming a charity volunteer, all of which helped to kick start my career.  I even started to learn Mandarin at St Gabriel’s, keeping it up for four years.  One day that might be very useful!

Whether repairing the facial injuries of the inebriated in A&E at 4.00am or dealing with a small child with a dental abscess, I am grateful to St Gabriel’s for giving me the confidence to cope with most things.

Of course, St Gabriel’s helped me achieve the top grades needed to study dentistry but there was so much more to my education there.  The opportunities were excellent – the Millennium Volunteers scheme (working with disabled children) was an invaluable experience.  Being Head Girl gave me the chance to liaise between staff and pupils and honed my organisational skills.  So useful thereafter!

St Gabriel’s gave me a great education, wonderful friends and so many happy memories.

On completing my A levels at St Gabriel’s I went on to study for a master's degree in Civil Engineering at Southampton University.

St Gabriel’s gave me the confidence and knowledge to enter into an industry dominated by the male population, in which I feel I have thrived. I am now a consulting structural engineer at Scott White and Hookins, where I work on the engineering design of complex structures and buildings. St Gabriel’s gave me the confidence to pursue this career, but the learning environment and the support I received from my teachers would have enabled me to take any direction I chose.

During my 14 years at the school, I also loved playing in all of the sports teams and have continued to play hockey after graduation. These team games provided me with many invaluable soft skills, which have proved so important in my adult professional working life - effective communication, respect for others and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

I will always be grateful to St Gabriel’s for providing my twin sister, Brigid, and I with the best possible foundation for life.  After completing Sixth Form, I stayed on to teach for a year, which deepened my understanding of the real commitment of the staff to encourage each pupil to give of her best.  Following teacher training college and my election as senior student, I taught in Kent, where I also skippered a Sea Ranger Crew, and then Malawi.

It was there I married Donald Arden, who had recently arrived as the new bishop and later became Archbishop of Central Africa.  For 17 years I looked after the Diocesan Building Department, drawing plans for hospitals, schools and other projects and supervising building contractors.

Returning to England in 1981, I worked for 16 years with the London Diocesan Board and its 152 schools, initially working with architects but then getting to grips with new education acts and helping head teachers and governors understand what they were being asked to do.  I also served on several government committees.  I was made an MBE for this work.