4 January 2024
1. Can you tell us your name and one interesting fact about yourself?
My name is Callum Bonni. An interesting fact about me would be that, inspired by my great love for music which started in LHS, in my first year at the University of Birmingham I started a band and gigged around the Birmingham city area with people I had met on campus, which is possibly the most fun way to make a bit of money as a student.
2. What year did you graduate from Llanishen High School?
I graduated from Llanishen High School Sixth Form in 2022 and went on to the University of Birmingham to study English Literature with Creative Writing.
3. What subjects did you study or were you particularly interested in while you were with us?
While I was at Llanishen High School, I studied English Literature, Music and History, as I’ve always had a strong interest in creative and written subjects. Along with those core subjects, I always made an effort to involve myself in the music department’s extra-curricular activities as much as possible, playing with the bands and helping with the end-of-year musicals always became the highlights of my year at the school.
4. What are you doing currently, and can you tell us how you got to this point?
I am now in my second year of studying English Literature & Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham. Getting to this point has been incredibly exciting, with the daunting challenge of moving away from home very quickly changing to a great sense of freedom. The first year of university was certainly a step up from what I was used to, but allowed for trial and error. As time has gone by, I’ve been able to enter the second year with increased confidence in my abilities and also in myself.
5. Did you always know this career was something you wanted to pursue? If not, what other career options were you considering?
I wasn’t always set on pursuing English as a degree or career, because music had always been such a big goal for me. However, as I worked through my A-level English Literature course I developed more and more love for the subject until I decided that this was going to be the course for me. Luckily, due to the creative freedom of my course, I’ve been able to use and discuss music in some of my assignments, keeping both of my passions alive.
6. Looking back, what advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
Knowing what I know now, I would want my 16-year-old self to know that there are many opportunities to figure out what you want to do and who you want to be. I’m nearly 20 now and I’ve changed so much in just the last four years, becoming someone that I may not have thought I would be able to be and doing things I would’ve seen as too challenging a few years ago. It’s important to enjoy life as each day goes by, but it doesn’t hurt to know that things can also get better.
7. What advice would you give to students today thinking about their future?
My advice to any student thinking about their future is to know that things are always able to get better. As someone who started university unsure about whether I’d made the right decision, by sticking with it and communicating with the tutors I ended up finding myself in a place where I truly felt comfortable. No matter how much time it takes, you’ll always find like-minded people to call friends and your accommodation will start to feel like a real home away from home.
If you’d like more information about our alumni network or would like to get involved, please complete the form on our alumni page and a member of staff will come back to you.