Ariel Pintor (GCSE student, 1989 – 1991)

While at Kingsmead, Ariel managed to obtain a scholarship to study at Winchester College and after taking his A-levels there, he read for a BA Hons in English Language and Literature at St Catherine’s College, Oxford University. After graduating in '98 he went on to work for more than ten years in a wide range of roles within the Media/New Media industries, as an independent documentary filmmaker and also as a TEFL teacher. He is currently undertaking an MA course in Documentary Direction at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield. A brief sample of his documentary work can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/12690962

I came to Kingsmead as a fourteen-year-old, having just arrived in the UK from Italy. At the time, my proficiency in English wasn’t great and Enfield, London and England were completely new worlds to me. In the midst of the several difficulties my family and I faced at the time, Kingsmead offered a safe and welcoming environment in which I could begin the long process of settling and eventually making both language and culture my own. I remain grateful to the school for that and I am happy to see that it has kept pace with fast-changing times, extending its resources and giving its pupils the chance to reach out into areas such as the visual arts. I look forward to seeing Kingsmead continue going from strength to strength and hope to have the opportunity to contribute to that development in the future.