Detroit

Detroit is off to Harvard

16 May

Grade A student Detroit Osei-Bonsu is climbing her way to success after she beat thousands of young people to a place at the summer camp of America’s prestigious Harvard University.

At just 16, Detroit is already the Newcastle Indoor Climbing Champion, a Hard Target climbing instructor, is training for the British Karate Championships with Gosforth Karate Club and has a dance scholarship with Dance City.

Now, following an arduous selection process, including a three-day residential in London, the Newcastle Sixth Form College student is one of just 150 students from across the UK who have been invited to travel to the US this summer.

Detroit, whose dream is to study at the prestigious Bernard College in New York, will spend a week in August touring around some of America’s top universities, including Harvard.

Detroit, from Heaton, said: “I was totally shocked when I received an email saying I had been accepted to attend the summer camp.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to visit American universities to see if studying over there is for me.”

She added : “I am so grateful to Newcastle Sixth Form College for all their help and support. I feel extremely lucky to have access to such amazing opportunities.”

Detroit is the second student from Newcastle Sixth Form College to be selected for the programme, which is organised by the Sutton Trust US Programme 2014. She was chosen from an original pool of 3,000 suitable applicants from across the UK who applied for the summer camp.

It is eligible to those young people who have hopes of studying at university in America, but first, students must pass strict criteria, including passing an academic test and showing involvement in extra-curricular groups and organisations.

Steve Gibson, Principal at Newcastle Sixth Form College, said Detroit was extremely bright, but was also involved in a range of community organisations, which would have scored highly with the Sutton Trust.

“Academically, Detroit is exceptional, but her involvement in the college’s enrichment activities is also notable, so I am not surprised that she has been invited to the Harvard summer camp,” said Steve.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that she will achieve what she sets out to do. She is very motivated and ambitious. A credit to herself and Newcastle Sixth Form College.”

Detroit is daughter of legendary Karate instructor Bonsu.