Sporty teen ‘tries luck’ and secures place at Harvard
A TEENAGER from South Wales has been accepted to study at the prestigious American university Harvard after he “tried his luck” at bagging a place.
Steffan Dylan Jones, 19, is a former pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun in Rhondda Cynon Taf, but this summer he’s set to travel to the USA to study at one of the most famous sports colleges and university complexes in the world.
Steffan, a Welsh athletics champion from Ynyswen, Powys, was one of just 2,015 people worldwide to gain a place at Harvard University out of 40,248 applicants.
As well as studying for four A-levels and the Welsh Baccalaureate at school, Steffan also found the time to study a Diploma in Sporting Excellence at Loughborough College. The young athlete, who was also a 2015 Nos Galan support runner for Colin Jackson, trains five times a week and was on track to represent Team GB in the Youth World Championships this year had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic.
Now the focus is on August, when he’s set to travel to study at the world-famous campus in Massachusetts, and he cannot wait to set off on his new adventure and explore America.
Speaking about gaining a spot at Harvard, Steffan, who is originally from Aberdare, said his dedication to sport played a big part in his ticket to the States.
“I’m an athlete – in America helped me get in,” Steffan said.
“In the UK it’s not as important in the universities, and it’s not as bigged-up, but in America it’s a big deal out there.
“I knew I wanted to go out there. I started looking at Boston and, as I was looking, I thought ‘if I was in Boston I wouldn’t want to be five minutes away from Harvard, and think I was missing out,’ so I tried my luck.
“I got in touch with the coach and he helped me. The coach was really nice – he was the first coach to reply to me.”
Steffan said that when he was applying to universities, he was also looking at places like Yale and Princeton, but when he made contact with Harvard it seemed like a pretty good match right from the start.
But, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Steffan said his last year at school did not come without its challenges. It was only around this time last year that his dreams were up in the air as the schools were forced to close due to the coronavirus outbreak.
He said it was tough for him not to actually be able to sit any exams as he wanted to put his all into them, but he was elated when he discovered he had got into his university of choice.
When asked what it was like to be prevented from sitting exams last summer, Steffan said: “I was gutted it as I’m one of those people who is quite chilled all year, and then put all the effort in right at the end. I wanted to try really hard.
“I had an exam for my SATs, which is something you have to do to get into an American university, so I was revising for that around my mocks. I did well in my SATs, but I didn’t try that hard in my mocks. I was doing lots of things.”
Luckily Steffan was still awarded the grades to help him bag a place in the States. Last summer he walked away from school with four As in physics, chemistry, maths and further maths.
He hopes to use his qualifications to study an engineering course at Harvard, but he said one of the differences in studying in America is you get to select the exact course you want to focus on when you get there.
Steffan said: “I was hoping for an A* in maths, but because of my class work they had to give me an A.
“It’s just me being silly because, at the end of the day, it got me into Harvard. I cannot wait until August when I will be able to train at Harvard’s amazing facilities and compete in the Ivy League.
“I’m massively grateful to all my teachers throughout my time in school, who not only made my school years enjoyable but who also helped me achieve the grades I needed to secure my place at such a prestigious university.”
Steffan also said his parents and sister are very proud of his achievements, and have been “so supportive” of his journey.
RESIDENTS gathered outside their homes in Cardiff to protest the demolition of a house that will make way for a cycle path they say nobody wants.
Plans to knock down the two-storey house in Pontprennau have attracted huge opposition from neighbours who claim the plans will make them less safe.
The plans are all part of a new estate of affordable houses that was initially revealed back in 2019. Now an amended planning application has been submitted to Cardiff council which includes knocking down number 43 on Clos Nant Glaswg as part of the plans to build the affordable houses.
Residents have a number of concerns with the proposed demolition and say they worry for their safety.
They gathered outside their homes with placards objecting the demolition.
One resident, Rob Lee, said : “It is an ill conceived planning application and hasn’t been thought out properly.
“The whole planning application process needs to be looked at here, if it goes to planning, it will destroy a fourbedroom house when there’s a housing crising in Cardiff. Footpaths are magnets for crime and we’ve had many closed due to crime in the area.
“It’s not about social housing, we get on really well with the affordable housing residents by us.
“The protest is to raise awareness about planning applications that disrupt communities.”
The house would make way for a foot and cycle path linking Ty-Draw Road to the new estate of 45 properties. The amended plans were filed at the start of February.
Since the amended plans were submitted more than 45 formal objections have been sent to Cardiff council and more than 290 people have signed a petition.
A number of other minor adjustments to the planned estate were also submitted to the council, including increasing the garden size for each plot and reducing the number of properties from 47 to 45.
Speaking at the protest, Paul Cawley, 61, who has lived on the estate for 17 years, said: “We have a great community spirit here – everybody is aware of who is coming and going. I have numerous concerns regarding the demolition.
“I think there’s an increased risk of crime and safety and I don’t believe it links to anything. I’m not opposed to the housing development. I don’t think the road is particularly safe for cyclists due to the junction at the bottom. It is ill conceived and ill thought through.”
Vaughan and Alison Williams are both retired and have lived at the property for more than 20 years.
They say if the planning application isn’t rejected they would move home.
They said: “We’ve got no problem with social housing. The demoliton won’t make us feel secure and it’ll change the dynamic of the street. You don’t expect a perfectly good house to be demolished.
“The cycle path leads to nowhere, there’s no shops at the bottom of the road.
“As a community here, we don’t object to social housing, only the cycle lane.”
One elderly resident said she fears crime would increase if the cycle lane is built.
Diane Girolami, 81, said: “If that house goes down then the neighbours will be at risk of the children because they won’t be able to see where they’re going.
“There’s only so many parking spaces and there’s enough traffic as it is as most people have two cars.
“We will see kids coming through on quadbikes and it’s just not safe.
“There’s never been any trouble down here and I know nothing stays the same but I won’t feel safe.”
The developer United Welsh declined to comment on the protest.
Previously, they said: “This development will provide much needed highquality homes for affordable rent and first-time buyers.
“It is important for the proposed new homes to integrate well with the community and for pedestrians and cyclists to have adequate access to local facilities and amenities
“Local residents are being consulted as part of the planning process.”