Becky High Alumnae

A very warm welcome if you are reading this as one of our remarkable students and staff of years gone by! Our ever-evolving school may look a little different now, but we remain a happy, high achieving, inclusive, diverse and dynamic place to learn and grow.

We’ve seen so many exceptional women through our doors in our 55+ year history; former Becky High students have gone on to excel in careers as varied as the military, law, geology, medicine, teaching, television, politics, marketing, hospitality and physiotherapy, for organisations such as ITV, EMI, BP, Sky, the NHS and HMP. 

In March 2023, we hosted a Becky High 55 Year Alumnae Celebration which was a fantastic opportunity to meet up with old friends, enjoy Prosecco and afternoon tea and have a tour of the school. Have a look at the album below to see if you can spot any familiar faces!  If you would like to be added to our data base and be invited to future alumnae events, please fill in this form.

Becky High 2023 Alumnae Celebration

Whatever you've been up to since you left, we'd love to hear from you! So, why not connect via LinkedIn and Facebook, or drop us an email via the alumnae email address.  If you joined LinkedIn before March 全球网赌十大网站, you need to add Beaconsfield High 'properly' to your Education profile by following these steps:  Go to your profile, remove your current school listing and add us in again. You’ll know you’ve done it properly because when you start typing us in, the school logo should come up. Once you’ve done this, you should be able to build up connections with Becky High alumnae more easily.

Alumnae Stories 

• Beth Rigby
  Political Editor at Sky News
  Beth Rigby

  Beth left BHS to study social and political science at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge where she graduated with a first. She continued her studies at the University of London where she gained a masters in Latin America. She has worked as a journalist for the FT and The Times and is now the Political Editor for Sky News.

• Dr Melanie Windridge
  Plasma Physicist and Science Communicator
  Dr Melanie Windridge

  Dr Windridge left BHS to study physics at Bristol University, followed by a PhD in plasma physics from Imperial College London in 2009. She is a plasma physicist specialising in fusion energy and currently works as the Communications Consultant for Tokamak Energy. Melanie also loves the outdoors and summitted Mount Everest in 2018!

• Bekah Cork
  Head of Residencies and Engagements
  Bekah Cork

  Bekah left us in 2008 to study music at The University of Birmingham and after graduation she joined the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as their Assistant Planning Manager. She then became the Artistic Planning and Tours Manager at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra before moving to the Philharmonia Orchestra as their Head of Residencies and Engagements.

• Katie Raettig
  Post-Production Coordinator
  Katie Raettig

  Katie left BHS to study sociology at the University of Bath. She is currently the Post-Production Coordinator at Outpost, an independent TV and film post-production company at the world famous Pinewood Studios. Katie is also a keen writer and Disney fanatic and writes regularly for the US Disney fan information site WDWNT.

• Jessie de la Merced (Baker)
  Facebook EMEA Communications Director
  Jessie de la Merced (Baker)

  Jessie left us to study Biological Anthropology at The University of Cambridge followed by a one year studentship at Harvard University studying political communications. She went on to intern at Google, spent three years at Brunswick Group before joining Facebook where she is now the EMEA Communications Director.

• Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed
  Junior Doctor/ MasterChef winner
  Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed

  After BHS, Saliha studied medicine at Kings College graduating in 2012. She is currently an NHS junior doctor training in gastroenterology. She has always had a passion for cooking and in 2017 won the BBC's MasterChef competition. She has since written her own cookbook winning Best New Cookbook in the 2019 Observer Food Monthly Awards!

• Alexandra Maslen
  Junior Doctor Specialising in Palliative Medicine
  Alexandra Maslen

  I left BHS in 2009 having studied Biology, Chemistry, Maths, and Further Maths for A-Level. I went on to study Contemporary Dance at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance following my dream of being a professional dancer. I studied at NSCD for one year achieving a diploma in Contemporary Dance Performance and I had a number of professional dance jobs; I danced in the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony and was on Britain's Got Talent in a Kick Line troupe.

  However, I decided dance wasn't the career for me, so I moved to the University of Nottingham to study Medicine and I am now a Junior Doctor Specialising in Palliative Medicine within the NHS. As soon as I started medical school I knew it was the job for me, it's taken me a long time to be able to do my dream job but I'm really blessed to be finally doing it. I have a lot to thank BHS for, for encouraging me to follow my dreams particularly as it enabled me to make the decisions I made for myself and not solely for my parents or for my teachers.

• Joanna Smith
  Barrister Specialising in Family Law
  Joanna Smith

  I studied English Literature, Modern History, and Fine Art at A-Level before leaving in 2011 to study English Literature at Exeter University. Following completion of my degree, I got my Graduate Diploma in Law at City Law School before going to Bar School to complete the Bar Professional Training Course.

  I then paralegaled with an East London Family Law firm ( TV Edwards LLP) for just under two years whilst I applied for pupillage at various London family chambers. I got pupillage in 2017, started in October 2018, and qualified as a barrister in October 2019. I am now part of Fourteen, a group of London family law chambers in London.

• Anna Tait
  Solution Architect
  Anna Tait

  I left Becky High in 1998 having studied English Literature, Government and Politics, and Drama and Theatre Arts. Back then there were no IT offerings at GCSE or A-level, but having been involved in extracurricular IT clubs, I knew that this was something I wanted to progress with. After an extended gap year travelling in Australia, I returned to study Computer Science and Information Systems at Brunel University - a very male-dominated course at the time.

  In my final year, one of my modules was Business and Process Analysis; I really loved studying this subject and looked at how I could build a career in this field. I have been lucky enough to work for some fantastic companies as a Business Analyst including Mars Chocolate and Marks and Spencer. I am now in a real dream job as a Solution Architect at Microsoft where I lead companies through digital transformation using Microsoft's workplace technology and services. There is a big focus here on Tech Women and Women in IT in general, but really the grounding I got from BHS meant I never doubted that I could be successful in this field.

• Emma Martin
  Senior Marketing Manager
  Emma Martin

  I left BHS in 1994 and went to the University of Liverpool to study Economic and Social History. Following graduation, I went on to study law at The College of Law and completed the conversion course and Legal Practice Course which led me to securing a training contract and qualify as a solicitor.

  I practiced in law for ten years as a commercial property solicitor. However, I decided in 2012 that I wanted to change profession and pursue a more creative career. I retrained in marketing and I am now Senior Brand Marketing Manager for Brasserie Bar Co., one of the UK's leading hospitality brands. In my role, I take responsibility for the brands creative direction and sales growth.

  BHS always thought the best of us and didn't think we were any less than capable of that. My time at BHS gave me the confidence to always be the best that I could always be and made me very determined to achieve that!

Giving back!

Philanthropy comes in all shapes and sizes, from volunteering your time at Becky High fundraising events or delivering a careers talk to the next generation of successful women, to giving back with a financial gift. Below are some handy links if that sounds like something you would like to get involved in! 

Alumnae gallery!

Our alumnae