Actress will swap Hamilton for Harvard
AN aspiring actress at Glasgow ‘s Royal Conservatoire is swapping Hamilton for Harvard as part of a trip to two of the world’s most prestigious universities.
After overcoming competition from 1000 hopefuls, Ellie Laird will spend a week at Harvard and a week at Yale as part of a programme provided by the Sutton Trust.
The 17-year-old, from Hamilton, said: “I’m so excited to be heading to the USA this summer, it’s a really big deal.
“I would like to major in drama and directing with English and French and the trip will give me a flavour of what education is like over there.
“It will be interesting to compare the differences between universities in the USA and in Scotland - particularly when I’m going to Yale and Harvard.”
To get hold of the prize the student of the Junior Conservatoire programme had to go through rounds of essay writing, tests and interviews as hundreds of hopefuls were whittled down to the final shortlist - which included just 15 representatives from Scotland.
The Hamilton Grammar pupil will spend a week living on campus and will visit a number of other universities in the area.
Along with other participants she will also undertake an intensive pro- gramme of support to improve her acting skills.
Jenn Adams, head of the Junior Conservatoire, was over the moon.
She said: “Many congratulations to Ellie, who has worked very hard during her time so far at the Junior Conservatoire. Studying at the Junior Conservatoire is about nurturing young people and empowering them to be the very best they can be in a happy and welcoming environment.”