Last Friday, three of our Year 11 girls – Rosie Ma, Zahraa Alsudany, and Kristie Kong – were honoured to be invited by Mr Joe Dancey, Labour Candidate for Stockton West, to meet Baroness Valerie Amos at Yarm Parish Church.
Baroness Amos is a British Labour Party politician and diplomat who served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her appointment to the UN, she served as British High Commissioner to Australia. She was made a Life Peer in 1997, serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council from 2003 to 2007.

Baroness Amos was the first Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) woman to serve as a Cabinet minister and the first black woman to lead a university in the United Kingdom. Since September 2020, she has been Master of University College, Oxford, becoming the first-ever black head of an Oxford college. On 1 January 2022, the Queen appointed Baroness Amos a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter, the first black ‘knight or lady companion’ member of the order since its foundation. In May 2023, the Baroness took part in the Coronation of Charles III, representing the Order of the Garter. She is such an inspirational role model, not just to women from minority groups.

In the meeting with our girls, Baroness Amos talked about her studies and her political life, as well as the Oxbridge admission process. She encouraged the young people to make their voices heard on political issues and to chase their ambitions with courage and determination. Our girls talked about their personal A level choices, their future career goals, and the efforts they have made to turn their dreams into reality. They also expressed their views on political issues, such as giving 16-year-olds the right to vote.

After the meeting, our girls expressed their excitement and appreciation in an email to Baroness Amos and Mr Dancey. They hope that they might have the honour of welcoming Baroness Amos to Emmanuel College one day to share more about the importance of young people getting involved in politics and the significant roles that women can play in the society.