I studied History, Politics, French and Spanish in the Sixth Form. At the time, I wanted to be a diplomat, and the head of the Sixth Form suggested I study Chinese or Arabic at university to make myself stand out. I was able to get a taster in both languages while I was at Warwick and decided to go the Middle Eastern route. I studied Arabic and Hebrew at Oxford, lived in Lebanon, and then moved to Washington DC to do a master's in Middle Eastern politics. Ten years later, I'm now the deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a leading think tank. 

Beyond the choice to study Arabic, the Sixth Form shaped my career in other ways as well. Hearing leading politicians address the Politics Society nurtured my enduring interest in politics, performing in plays no doubt helped prepare me for media interviews and public speaking, and visiting Washington DC on a school trip helped me decide to move here many years later. Even though I have not continued to study French or Spanish, the foundation that A Level gave me remains, and I used both languages professionally in recent research trips to Morocco and Tunisia. 

Colleagues are often surprised to hear that I’m from a small village in the middle of England. But the truth is that I am only here today because of the advice and encouragement I was given in the Warwick School Sixth Form”.