Cymoedd Alumnus Excels at Oxford University!

Cymoedd’s Director of A-Levels, Ian Rees, was delighted to catch up recently with Coleg y Cymoedd A-Level Centre alumnus, Andrew Williams, amongst the dreaming spires of Oxford!

Andrew, originally from Ynyshir, Rhondda, studied A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry at Coleg y Cymoedd, achieving stellar grades of 3 A*s and 1 A, before going on to gain a First Class Honours degree in Physics at St Hilda’s College, Oxford.

He has subsequently embarked upon a PhD  (DPhil), also at Oxford University.  In his DPhil, Andrew studies how clouds respond to climate change, and then how these changes impact on weather events like extreme rainfall. Andrew is in his third year of the four-year course, and, once he is awarded his PhD, he hopes to continue working in academia by applying for a Fellowship in the UK or in America.

Andrew has maintained regular links with South Wales, in particular with the Seren Hub, which is hosted by Coleg y Cymoedd and supports More Able and Talented A-Level learners throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr to apply to Oxbridge and other leading Russell Group universities.

Andrew continues to help prepare learners for the challenging Physics Admissions Test sat by Oxford applicants and during their meeting he commented “My time studying A-Levels at Coleg y Cymoedd was formative for me and provided me with the skills I needed to succeed at Oxford.  I want to continue to do whatever I can to support other learners from Valleys communities to aim high and achieve their goals.”

Ian and the A-Level staff team at Coleg y Cymoedd are tremendously proud of Andrew’s outstanding academic successes and would like to wish Andrew all the very best with his ongoing studies and future career path. We also hope that his significant achievements will inspire current STEM learners in the A-Level Centre to aspire to follow in Andrew’s footsteps!

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