The Pilgrim Society is a philanthropic group which recognises the commitment of individuals from the Reigatian community who support the Changing Lives campaign with a regular gift.
Together we can transform the life chances of disadvantaged children from our local community by providing educational opportunities and hope. To date, through the Pilgrim Society alone, we have given places to 20 Changing Lives bursary students.
Your support of the Changing Lives campaign is crucial because now, more than ever, the twin drivers of low social mobility, economic and educational inequality, are on the rise.
“The triple whammy of the global financial crisis, Brexit and COVID-19 has not been good for current and future social mobility. COVID-19 looks set to increase the toxic mix of rising economic and education inequality. Failure to do something will store up greater problems for future generations.”
Professor Machin London School of Economics
Daniel joined RGS as a Changing Lives bursary recipient in 2013. He has flourished and now has the world at his feet!
“I wish I could show my 11-year-old self exactly how important sitting the 11+ and meeting with the Head of Foundation was going to be. The outright joy in knowing I would learn to play rugby and go on tour to Biarritz and South Africa; have access to incredible music teachers and perform in state-of-the-art venues; meet some of the most amazing and inspiring friends and teachers; all while achieving grades at GCSE and A level that I could only have dreamed of. All thanks to the Changing Lives campaign, and the selfless, philanthropic support of its sponsors.
To these people I can only say thank you for giving me, and others, the opportunity of a lifetime, and to promise that this investment in nurturing young, talented Reigatians will be the best you ever make.
Since completing my A levels (A*A*AB + A* extended project) at RGS in 2020, I have gone on to the University of Warwick to study Discrete Mathematics. Admittedly I haven’t had the typical university experience in a year as unprecedented as 2020, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the new independence, friends, and experiences I have had so far.
I am enjoying further increasing my depth of knowledge in maths and computer science and hope that I can take what I have learned at RGS and apply it throughout my undergraduate studies. Looking further ahead, I hope to specialise in machine learning and artificial intelligence and to go on to study a PhD in this field. I believe the next great step in human innovation is the creation of an artificial general intelligence (AGI), and I would love to be able to apply my knowledge and expertise to help solve this problem.
Once again, I would like to thank my sponsors and the RGS Foundation for all the opportunities they have given me over the last seven years, and I hope to be able to give back in some way in the future.”
Daniel Fitzgerald (RGS 2013-20)
JOIN THE PILGRIM SOCIETY AND HELP MORE CHILDREN LIKE DANIEL
By donating on a regular basis, you can help us to help more children like Daniel. Any regular donation (up to £1675 – Henry Smith Club level) will be gratefully welcomed. By working as a collective group, all donations, no matter how big or small, will make life-changing differences to children’s lives.
