Jeevan grew up in North London where he attended the outstanding Gladesmore Community School. He admits he wasn’t making the most of it as his behaviour inside and outside of the classroom held him back, but this all changed when his Assistant Head Teacher floated the idea of going to boarding school for his Sixth Form years. Jeevan explains that his motivation soared once the concept was fully explained to him, noting that he truly began focusing on his education as he became determined to earn a place at Bradfield.
“I mentally set aside the challenges of my socio-economic circumstances and decided that they would not dictate my life and my ability to take advantage of this opportunity.” Such was his desire to attend Bradfield that he didn’t even apply to any other colleges and he prepared extensively for his interview.
Asked about the impression that Jeevan made during that process, Andy Golding, Jeevan’s Housemaster in Army House, could see that he was ambitious, keen to make a change and likeable. “I wanted to give him the chance that I felt he deserved, I was delighted to recommend him for a place,” says Andy who knew instantly that Jeevan would be a great addition to the House.
Having the validation of his future Housemaster was ultimately very humbling for Jeevan. “Having someone see potential in me meant so much and I felt that I owed it to him to perform.”
Feeling ‘part of it’ was not an instant thing for Jeevan who explains that you can’t underestimate the radical change that is moving to Bradfield. “There was this long build-up then I got the grades and was in. The next thing I knew I was in West Berkshire smelling manure and living in Hogwarts.”
GOOSE SHOWED ME THAT I BELONGED. THE SHARED ENJOYMENT AND SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT WAS INCREDIBLE; A GREAT ICE-BREAKER.
Having never stayed away from home he was homesick and wondered whether he’d made the right decision, but the infamous Goose Weekend proved to be a turning point. It taught him what it meant to be part of a boarding house, the House spirit, the loyalty and the bond with your housemates. “Goose showed me that I belonged. The shared enjoyment and sense of achievement was incredible, [it was] a great icebreaker for the year and I was gutted that I only experienced two years of it.”
Whilst Bradfield has a policy of not formally naming its bursary recipients, Jeevan was very open about his status and felt he received more respect because the other boys were aware of it. “I think they were genuinely impressed and proud of me and my desire to make a change to my life. They also wanted me to achieve.”
It is fair to say that Jeevan fitted into House life well and Andy Golding was impressed by both his dynamism and ability to deal with the many challenges of moving into an alien environment. “The Army House boys took to
him and he quickly developed a tight circle of friends. His presence was refreshing in many ways and we all appreciated his different perspective.”
Bradfield aims to provide a home-away-from-home environment so in developing a new Bradfield family it is not to say that Jeevan became distanced from his own. Jeevan’s Mum is one of his biggest fans and motivators, she was delighted to see him start to take an interest in his education and was extremely supportive of his move to Bradfield.
She took great pleasure in dropping him off at College whenever possible. While the move was potentially quite an intimidating experience, Mr Golding always made the family feel totally at home. “He offered outstanding pastoral support throughout my time and, looking back, he was the male role model that I had been missing in my life.”
