By Jack Miller, Year 9, St Augustine’s College
Old boy’s talk stirs interest
ON July 29, the Year 9 cohort of St Augustine’s College was delighted and impressed by the real-life success story of one of the college’s old boys.
Dr Dylan Saunders returned to the college after a long and arduous journey which landed him with a PhD in quantum computing from Oxford University.
The 2004 college dux talked about his 13 years out in the real world and how he got to where he is.
A very modest man, he told us that anyone in the audience could follow his lead and enter such a prestigious university.
He talked about the wide range of scholarships available to those who might want to take up the challenge.
He spoke of the intelligence of his colleagues and discussed Oxford’s surprising accessibility. Members of the audience described the talk as inspirational and a real wake up call to get out and achieve.
Dr Saunders described his work in quantum computing.
Although a hard subject to teach, everyone in the audience agreed that he was gifted when it came to explaining complicated topics such as quantum entanglement and computing.
He spoke enthusiastically about his own work and the quantum revolution that he believes will soon take over our daily lives.
Indeed, many boys found his work exceedingly interesting and promising.
Boys were overheard discussing their admiration for Dr Saunders and his work.
Although a clear majority of students certainly won’t follow in Dr Saunders’ footsteps, we could all take something from his talk.
I, for one, felt inspired to work harder and achieve more.