Menu

Where are they now?

Posted on: January 11th 2019School News

We always look forward to hearing from MGS Owls about their experiences after they have left the School, and here we catch up with some former pupils to find out what an MGS education meant to them.

Yass Al-Hassani

Actor, Model, Managing Director, Economist, Management Consultant

MGS 1990-1998

Yass2

The beauty of MGS is that it’s not just about the subjects, it’s about the whole environment. It’s a school where you learn about life, and where you are given the tools to be a success in the professional or corporate world.

Since leaving MGS, my professional career has been based around management consultancy, business economics and start-up companies. I’m also now a professionally trained actor, and I’ve starred in shows such as the BBC drama Peaky Blinders, as well as shows such as Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Shameless, and in advertisements for Coors Light, Nike and the British Red Cross.

Having an education at MGS is a stamp on my CV that acts as endorsement for the many clients I meet. They straight away understand the type of elite person you must be, and that an MGS education helps create mentally healthy individuals that can cope with stress, timelines, bullies, working with various cultures, respecting your seniors, punctuality, timekeeping and working under pressure. It is a privilege to have been granted such an education and have the MGS name behind me.

Mac O’Malley

Student, The University of Manchester

MGS 2009-2017

Macomalley2

I started running at MGS in Year 7, and in my first 5km race, I clocked in with a time of 27.08 minutes. But, helped by the support I received at MGS, fast forward eight years and in May 2018, I was rubbing shoulders with some of the most elite runners in the world in the 10km Great Manchester Run, including one of Britain's most decorated athletes, Sir Mo Farah.

I finished in 34.26 minutes, only a few minutes behind the eventual winner Sir Mo Farah himself, so I’ve come a long way!

The sport set-up at MGS is great, especially with running where training is held after lessons three times a week, with races most Saturdays. Training sessions at school were really fun, and offered a relaxing break to the stress of exams, something which was instrumental to me for my A-Level preparation.

Since leaving school, I have kept my running going, alongside studying at the University of Manchester. This has allowed me to continue to train with Trafford Athletics Club, which would never have started if I hadn't gone to MGS. In September 2018, I won the England Junior International Mountain Running Trial and then led the England Junior team at the Home International Mountain Running Championships in Ireland.

Oliver Kingsley

Student, The University of Leeds; Fundraising Intern, Conservative Campaign Headquarters

MGS 2007-2016

2

As I exited the famous iron gates of MGS, I thought to myself: ‘What on earth do I do now?’

I took a gap year, where not only did I get the opportunity to wine and dine with the political greats of this country in my capacity as a fundraising intern at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (including dinner at St James Palace, where my boyhood dream of meeting Her Majesty The Queen came true) but I also managed to schmooze my way into the electoral war rooms of Sir Lynton Crosby on the night of the General Election, which was the privilege of a lifetime.

I want to thank MGS for all the help and support I received, and for educating me alongside the best and brightest in the North of England. Thank you for giving me the space and the freedom to define my educational path in life. MGS allowed me to question, debate, form my own opinions and engage in conversation with the most prominent political titans in the United Kingdom. It is a great honour to call myself an MGS boy. The power and prestige of the School is illustrated by my first encounter with the Prime Minister. When I first met her, she asked me what school I attended. As I proudly told her I was an MGS boy, she said: “What a great school, you must be a clever boy.”

Patrick Christys

Sports Journalist

MGS 2003-2010

PC

During each of the most intense, high-pressure events of my career, whether it was being shot at in Syria or grilled about Brexit live on Sky News, I’ve always drawn on what I call ‘The MGS Factor’.

This school teaches you that you’ve got incredible potential, whether it’s in the sciences, arts or sport, and if you make the most of that potential, you’ll achieve great things.

It gave me the confidence and self-assurance to become an Editor at The Daily Express and Daily Star at 24-years-old. I’ve reported from Turkey shortly after the military coup, visited refugee camps on the Iraqi border, been shot at by a jihadi whilst making a documentary in Syria and travelled the migrant route into Europe through Morocco.

MGS taught me that academia is one (very important!) thing, but what sets you apart is your ability to thrive and excel in the most difficult circumstances. When times get really tough, MGS boys rise above the competition…because that’s what the School taught you to do.

Now I do a daily radio show on LoveSport Radio and have a weekly slot doing the political round-up on TalkRADIO. I’ve got the chance to interview the likes of Theresa May and Jacob Rees-Mogg, and it’s MGS that gives you the confidence to know that you can operate at that level.

At MGS you’ll make friends for life, be challenged in every way and be given the freedom to follow your own path.