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Congratulations and well done to Year 13 student, Alex, whose work is now on public display at the University of Cambridge as part of the 'Living Links' exhibition.

The exhibition which is being held across Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the Museum of Zoology until Wednesday 23 December 2026, was created by 28 students from state schools and colleges across the UK, including Alex, who is currently studying Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics at Westminster City School's Sixth Form.

The project on exploring connections in the natural world began in April this year when Alex was selected to attend a week-long residential programme at Clare College, University of Cambridge. It involved working closely together with other students and academics, including Dr Rosalyn Wade and Professor Edgar Turner in creating the exhibition, choosing its theme, developing the content and writing the text displayed to visitors. They also worked with graphic designers from Paper Rhino to develop the exhibition’s visual identity.

Alex, who joined Westminster City School’s Sixth Form from Thames Park Secondary School, explained how he heard about this amazing opportunity and became involved. He said:

"I was looking for opportunities to explore Biology away from classroom setting and develop my independence and communication skills. After submitting my personal statement, grades and school reports, I was fortunate to be selected. I also wanted to challenge myself to communicate ideas to a wider audience and working with students with a focused mindset as part of a larger team turned out to be more than I had hoped for."

One of Alex’s favourite part of the experience was presenting the group’s work to a museum panel at the end of the residential. He added:

"It was one of my first experiences of contributing to a project on this scale and it was rewarding to see our different ideas come together.

"What made the exhibition interesting was that we could share our own perspectives on the connections in nature, offering visitors a fresh way of looking at a subject they might usually encounter through more traditional museum displays."

Alex and his family were invited on a day trip to Cambridge for the exhibition launch. His family shared with us that they "were pleasantly surprised to see how the students’ ideas had been developed into a public exhibition across the two venues".

Commenting on seeing the finished exhibition on the day of the launch in Cambridge, Alex said:

"Seeing our work on display across Cambridge has been a really rewarding way to see the project come to life."

Alex hopes to study Medicine after completing his A Levels at Westminster City School's Sixth Form. He plans to continue gaining work experience and volunteering while developing his knowledge in medical research and how scientific discoveries can improve patient care.

The exhibition is open to the public at Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the Museum of Zoology until Wednesday 23 December 2026. Click the link here for more information on this.