Ryan has sights set high after winning NYC trip
A TORYGLEN teenager is turning stereotypes of the area on their head as he aims to be a role model to his peers.
Ryan Thorne had expected to leave school after fourth year and take on a trade – but now he’s flying to New York as the winner of a UK-wide award.
And, instead of joinery, young carer Ryan is planning to go to Glasgow University to study accounting and finance.
It is what his teachers call a “remarkable turnaround” for a boy who will be the first in his family to stay on after fourth year.
The 17-year-old said: “I had done OK at school but I didn’t really enjoy it and I wasn’t sure I would do very well in my exams in fourth year. University had never crossed my mind and I thought I would leave school and be a joiner because my older brother is a joiner, so that seemed like something I could do.”
But Ryan’s plans changed when he was spotted by Holyrood Secondary School employability officer Robert Hamilton.
Robert saw potential in Ryan and his twin brother Connor and encouraged both boys to apply to be part of Career Ready.
The charity works in schools to prepare young people for the world of work, including organising paid internships.
Ryan interned at Morgan Stanley, working in the international wealth management department with clients such as Merrill Lynch.
This experience gave him the confidence and skills to think about staying on at school and working towards university.
And, thanks to his work with Career Ready, he travelled to London to accept the Sir Winfried Bischoff award, sending him on an all-expenses-paid trip to New York in August.
Ryan’s mentor, Andie Krauss, vice president of access management at Morgan Stanley, said: “When I compare Ryan from the first time I met him to where he is now I can see an incredible trans- formation. When Ryan finished his four week internship he was a completely different person.”
Ryan and Connor are also young carers to their mum Annemarie and have had a difficult upbringing.
Ryan said: “Other people might think we have had a hard time but for us it’s just normal. You just get on with it. “Our mum is really proud of us.” The teenager also said he and his brother are not competitive and encourage each other.
Head teacher Laurie Byrne said the twin brothers are both exceptional. He said: “We want all of our pupils to know what options are out there for them. If Ryan had stuck with being a joiner then we would have supported him – but the important thing is that now he knows he has a choice. And that is really valuable.”
And Robert added: “The thing about both these boys is that they will grab anything you put in front of them.
“In my years teaching and in my years as an employability officer, I have never seen anything like these two young men.
“For boys with their background and boys from an area like Toryglen, they have completely turned their life around.”
As well as travelling to New York over the summer, Ryan will be going with his school and Connor, who wants to study teaching, to Malawi.
Holyrood has a long-standing charitable partnership in the African country and each year pupils apply to take part.
This year there were 120 applications and the twins came first and second of the 36 young people chosen.
Ryan was also shortlisted for a Young Scot Award this year.
Ryan said: “Of course I don’t think I’m that special and the attention is a bit embarrassing but people have one idea of what young people from areas like this are like.
“And I want them to know that they’re wrong and let other young people know that anything is possible.”