"I cannot imagine a time before St George’s. Not only did I start attending at age 3, but both my brother and father went there before me. At age 12, I asked my parents to become a boarder and I don’t regret this decision a single moment. School has always been a part of my life, both as part of my education and professional career! I am forever grateful for the opportunity to complete all of my primary and secondary education at this institution, where not only was I educated academically but in values as well. The friendships I cemented and the whole experience will forever be a part of who I am.
I have always been very academically inclined and St George’s allowed me to pursue my interests and develop my passion for learning. I was able to delve in all of the different subjects the school has to offer and was consistently supported by those around me. A special thanks to the teachers who taught me so much not only about their different subjects, but about life as well. I cherish many important lessons that have shaped who I am and strive to become.
Even later in life, once I graduated from the Universidad del Salvador as Licenciada en Letras and acquired my teaching degree, St George’s was a central part of it: it’s where I had my first job! I taught at St George’s College North for three years both in English and Spanish and am truly grateful for the opportunity.
I am now about to embark upon a new adventure and will be travelling to Spain to pursue a master's degree in Comparative Literature at the Universidad de Salamanca where I have received a full scholarship for the duration of my studies.
St George’s College isn’t only my school but was also my home for many years and I am very grateful to those who helped me so that I could receive the best possible education and have room to grow both academically and as a person.” M.C., August 2021.
"I always had a special connection to St George's College. It has strong ties to my family, I met my wife in Quilmes, and my closest and lifelong friends are those whom I met at Guido 800. I even returned to play rugby for the OG Club a few years ago to wear the same shirt my dad and my grandfather had once worn, and made even more friends in the process.
Through Sir Robert Malpas’ and Fundación Educacional San Jorge’s utmost generosity, I got a scholarship that not only helped fund my high school studies, but also reaffirmed my vocational desire to study Engineering, which I did between 2007 and 2012 at ITBA.
I have since walked a long road and I’m now working in finance, but SGC had a key role in getting me here — Professors always taught me how to think and understand problems, rather than just how to answer questions or sit for exams; the school’s unparalleled network introduced me to wonderful people, both personally and professionally; having faculty and classmates from all around the world proved to be priceless; and the school gave me plenty of leadership opportunities to strengthen my candidacy by the time I applied to business school at Columbia University in New York.
Right now I’m working in Wall Street focused on Private Equity fund transactions across North America.” I.T., July 2021
“I still remember the day I sat in the SUM of St. George's College Quilmes to sit for the exam to apply for the Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship awarded by Fundacion Educacional San Jorge, aimed at those who wanted to follow in the footsteps of science. I remember the small detachable wooden table and the distance between each of us who sat the exam (similar to the distance we live in the actual pandemic).
The task was very simple: choose one of the themes and develop it. The topic I chose was: "Chemistry is the science that studies the behaviour of atoms towards each other". Inspiration seized my pen and I quickly began to write about covalent and ionic bonds; all topics that my great mentor Virginia Lehrke (Chemistry teacher) had taught me. The professors walked around all the participants in silence, but my mind was immersed in ions, cations and molecules.
15 years later and having worked in manufacturing, consulting and the financial industry, I realise that all I am is the mere accumulation of experiences, learning and, of course, emotions. St George's was not only a simple brick in this construction, but it was the foundation on which I stand today.” B.S.S., July 2021
“St George’s College holds a very special place in my heart. It’s where I made unforgettable memories with my friends and by myself. My path here began when I was 13 years old and since then, I don't regret a day of being part of this community. The school gave me wonderful opportunities and helped me to challenge myself, day after day. Both SGC and all of my teachers were really important in my formation to become the person that I am today.
When I was 16 years old, I was awarded by Fundación Educacional San Jorge with the Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship and I couldn't be more grateful for it. This was another defiant chance. Nowadays I’m pursuing a degree in chemical engineering at ITBA and this scholarship really pushed me to do so.
Going to St George’s is not just like attending any other school, it’s being part of a community, a family. You have to work hard, but you also have a lot of people that support every step of the way. I lived my high school years to the fullest: I did an exchange abroad, stayed multiple times as a flexi-boarder, participated in sports tours amongst many others and, yet, I think that it was not enough. They say “time flies when you are having fun” and that’s what my experience was all about, joy, fun and a wonderful adventure. I carry with me everything that I learnt from the school and every single memory that I made there, and for that, I will always be grateful." L.Z., June 2021.
“When I was 15 years old I decided to follow my intuition and change schools. I left a secondary school that was 20 minutes away from my house to begin a new experience further away from home. St George's College was always present in my family as my grandfather and my mother were boarders at school. Nowadays I look back and see the risk of the decision I was making at that time and do not regret anything. Being able to spend my last two secondary years at St George's changed my life. The friends I made, the teachers I met, made me see life from a different point of view and allowed me to grow as a better person. During the time at school, I lived experiences that I will never forget and will take with me wherever I go. Even now, when I have to make a big decision, I remember that teenage girl that decided to challenge herself and face a new reality.
My parents accompanied me during the whole process, but I am also forever grateful to Fundación Educacional San Jorge who gave me the opportunity, with the Canon R. B. Jackson Bursary, to make this big change. Also, doing the IB Programme at school allowed me to choose which subjects to take and therefore explore different topics that helped me decide what I would study at university.
At the moment, I am close to finishing my Global Communication studies and feel that I have a great facility to deal with global aspects as, I went to school with people that belonged to different cultures, learnt from teachers who were raised in different backgrounds, and stayed as a flexi-boarder multiple times which taught me that “home is not a place but a feeling”. Today, being an Old Georgian makes me feel that I am part of a community that I can find anywhere in the world, throughout my whole life”. L.Z., May 2021.
"Attending St. George’s was truly a life-changing experience. There, I was exposed to a wide range of disciplines, from the arts to the sciences. It was the latter that intrigued me most, and the Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship was the perfect spark to fuel what would become my academic passion. For me, this scholarship has embodied the ideal combination of multidisciplinary evaluation and competitive environment that has prepared me for a rapidly changing world.
I went on to pursue a career in Electronic Engineering at ITBA, where the virtue of perseverance I rehearsed in high-school proved to be a fundamental asset in post-graduate life. After working for the automation division of ABB Argentina, I chose to emigrate to Italy with the aim of broadening my personal and professional spectrum. I earned my second Master’s Degree in Automation at the Politecnico di Milano while working as a Solution Engineer in Vodafone. In January of 2020, I accepted a similar position in Salesforce, where I help businesses transform their Lead-to-Cash processes.
I am eternally grateful for the path that the Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship has set me on, and I can’t wait for the next step in this grand adventure." MBS, April 2021.
"Since I was a child I have been interested in science and nature, so a career in these areas was inevitable, but it was winning the Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship that really cemented the idea that I should study engineering. I am currently finishing my thesis to become an Electronic Engineer at the University of Buenos Aires. Throughout my studies I was lucky enough to live different experiences: I did an internship for a year in a laboratory at my university, another year, one at the industrial giant ABB, I spent a semester doing an exchange in France, and since last year I am working as a software engineer at J.P. Morgan Chase while finishing my studies.
Winning the scholarship was a great honour, and gave me confidence, a sense of responsibility and community, all of which motivated me in my studies and career. Fundación Educacional San Jorge has given me the opportunity to learn from others when deciding what to study, and their experiences had a great impact on my decision. I was very proud that FESJ invited me to share my own experiences with the St George's College Community." S.M.A., March 2021.
“I graduated as a mechanical engineer at the end of 2019. Since then I have been working as a technology manager in a start-up that aims to lead the way of food production in cities. I design the greenhouses, as well as the robotics to operate them.
As to the Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship I can say that it was of great help at the time and allowed me to reinforce the area of sciences which I had been interested in since I was a child.
Even though winning the scholarship won´t determine the studies one will follow, it helps to exploit the interests one already has. The scholarship also celebrates those who have a scientific mind or can even help discover this by first competing to be awarded with the scholarship and then sitting for the exam.”
“When finishing Secondary School at St George’s with Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship in 2011, I went into Engineering at University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in March 2012. My first two years I studied Chemical Engineering but later I changed to Industrial which I finished in December 2018. I presented and defended my thesis to become an Industrial Engineer in March 2019.
I have been working for KPMG Argentina for the last three years and as a consultant in the area of Strategies and I am now exploring the possibility of going abroad. Before KPMG I had a three month internship at Imperial Shipping GmbH in Germany and since then I have dreamt to work abroad.
At present with my KPMG team we are assisting the Government of the City of Buenos Aires in the planification and process improvement for the resettling of the Villa 31 where 1000 families will be allocated new houses. At present they live in an area under the highway and the plan is that after the resettling, that area will become a park within the greatest project of converting the shanty town into a formal city. It is an outstanding project both from an engineering and a social point of view.”
Yvonne Eddy Campos Carles (C’1993) shares her experience as the mother of Eugenia, Celina and Elisa Campos Carles.
“As a former student of St George's College, I always dreamt that our children would go to the College, at least for some time and of course as boarders. I have the best of memories of my days as a boarder.
Since we got married we live in Mar del Plata and we have a good bilingual school in our city so the family decision is that all of our children (we have seven!!) if they wish, would have the opportunity of studying their two last years of Secondary school at St George´s. Obviously finances is an issue.
When the time came, our eldest daughter, Eugenia, wasn't only happy to attend, she begged us to go. We made an appointment, visited the school and presented our situation. Fundación Educacional San Jorge dealt with the matter in an impeccable way, Eugenia got the Brian Dyson Scholarship which is meant for prospective boarders who get good results in their entrance exams and who will stay at St George´s for at least two years.
In this way we started a NO RETURN JOURNEY. At the end of this year our third daughter finishes school at St George´s as well as her other two sisters, as Brian Dyson scholars.
The three have enjoyed school life immensely and obtained their International Baccalaureate Diploma which has prepared them so well for their University life.
From a personal point of view, the experience helped them to integrate slowly to life in the Capital city and acquire new friends. At this time Eugenia and Celina are living in Buenos Aires, studying and working and they have an active social life.
Without the Dyson scholarships we wouldn't have been able to do this.
Please see below a photograph of our three daughters and a short summary of what they are doing:
Eugenia: finished school in 2015. She studies Art and Cultural Management at the Centro de Investigación Cinematogáfica in Buenos Aires. She works in commerce and is planning to get married next year.
Celina: finished school in 2017 and is studying History at the Argentina Catholic University (UCA). She works as a private teacher and as a secretary.
Elisa: finishes school at the end of this year and has not made a decision yet about her future studies.”
“Being a boarder is the same as belonging to a large family composed not only by those who were with you but by previous generations of boarders who had similar experiences, as the essence of boarding never changes.
Facilities can be refurbished, menues and timetables modified, there can be better communications or improvements in transport but many things never change and it is my wish that this continues.
Being apart from your parents makes you deal with your problems by yourself, ask for help and trust new people. Also you learn that in a life journey you can find new brothers or sisters and foster parents. I am lucky enough to have many.
I want to share with you my experience which summarises what I mentioned above.
I was a boarder for five years but sometime during the third year I became homesick and decided to go back to my home town, also felt guilty because of the financial burden that school fees represented to my family.
A teacher helped me by telling me he understood that even though I was enjoying School life, family came first and I returned home. A few days were enough to make me realise how much I missed school but I still had the financial problem. The solution came at the end of the year when Fundación Educacional San Jorge gave my family a Canon Jackson Bursary. This financial assistance helped the family economy and this, together with the Masters who allowed me to go home more often allowed me to return as a boarder which is something that left a mark in my life.
Because of all this I wish that boarding remains a pilar of St George's College and that more and more students take the opportunity of living this enriching experience."
Lucía Rocha Aguilar shares her experience as the mother of Gerardo, Jaime and Tomás Rocha Aguilar.
“In Buenos Aires because of my husband´s work and through the recommendation of a friend we visited St George's College.
We had chosen another school for our eldest son but whilst entering the campus we knew our plans would change. The opportunities for sport, the facilities, the international teachers living on campus, the friendship of the community, all determined the decision to apply for a place for Gerardo and for Jaime and Tomás to start their school life. Later in time, José Miguel.
Later, being part of the community we were surprised by the dedication of the teaching staff and the time they had been at St George’s. For me, staff with many years in the institution is a sign of quality. The School provides a balanced mix of English educational culture and Latin style.
What can I say of academic excellence? We Mexicans, so close to the USA, are influenced by new practices that try not to harm children´s sensitivity by not evaluating them with marks, and not awarding some in order not to hurt others. Thousand times better a system where effort is cherished and where those who can go faster can get further. Mediocrity is not stimulated and pupils are taught to think and not to memorize.
We are so grateful that our son, even a foreigner, was elected Prep School Captain in sixth grade and that three of them obtained Canon Stevenson Scholarships awarded by Fundación Educacional San Jorge. Jaime and Tomás were rewarded with this scholarship twice and Gerardo got it in the first years of the College and later obtained the Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship which promotes the study of Sciences, totally achieved. These scholarships are another great School tradition and an enormous honour to obtain them. I will never forget the months prior to the exams, the excitement of the mothers, the preparation of the children, and the nerves which increased as the exams date approached. Finally, the pride felt at the announcement on Speech Day. Our three boys are today Engineers and working and the youngest, who finished his Secondary studies in Mexico on our return, is presently studying to become one.
I know that in Mexico there are schools with equivalent academic excellence but none with the social and formative part. For many years, after our return when asked what we missed more of Argentina, the reply was: St George's College.”
"The Sir Robert Malpas Scholarship definitely pushed me into following the career of Industrial Engineering. When I finished Secondary School at St George’s I had not made up my mind. I was within Economics and Engineering. But when I got the award and having concentrated the last two years of my life at school in subjects related to Sciences I inclined myself towards Engineering. I finished my studies at the end of 2017.
The scholarship was a tremendous help from an economic point of view pero it was above all it was a guide to understand during Secondary school which path to follow and what career to study something which is not easy at all.”