The Committee of South London Principals (COSLP) held their annual Best Learner Awards on Thursday 19 May after a break of three long years to celebrate their very best learners and amazing teachers.
Best Learner: Creative Media student Mathews Beroy
Mathews is a truly exceptional student, unfailingly polite with an engaging personality embodying professionalism, dedication, motivation, ambition and creativity with his consistently high grade profile testament to his outstanding performance and passion for film and media.
Pursuing his passion for film, Mathews joined Kingston College in 2019 to study Creative Media, first at Level 2 before successfully progressing onto the Level 3 programme.
Growing up and attending school in India, Mathews developed a keen interest in photography and filmmaking. As a young teenager he was gifted a camera by his father and with this was able to join a local Indian news TV channel working as a videographer and editor. He worked seven days a week for a whole year, learning much about working in this busy and demanding industry. Using the money that he earned from this, he bought himself better equipment to support his education.
During his time at Kingston College, he has enthusiastically embraced the opportunities open to him, working as a freelancer covering various events as a second videographer and editor; as a camera operator for a corporate interview shoot and as a runner in an advertisement shoot during his summer holiday in 2021. All of this Mathews undertakes while providing support to his younger siblings and mother, who works long hours as a nurse for the NHS.
Mathews is a shining light of pragmatism and positivity; his performance and work ethic is a commodity rarely seen to such a high and evolved standard at Level 3. He has reason to smile, which he does most of the time, with a very exciting future ahead of him.
Looking forward to a career as a cinematographer, Mathews has successfully applied to a selection of universities to continue his study at undergraduate level next year.
Mathews was nominated by his tutor and COSLP Staff Winner Louise Drosdzol
Louise has been a teacher at Kingston College for a remarkable 18 years. Her previous career as a Line Producer for television provides insight and inspiration to her media students and her impressive organisational skills ensure students are effectively supported to achieve every year. In addition to her media work, Louise is a creative practitioner working with printed textiles and experimental dyes. Louise understands the value of work experience for her students and is instrumental in securing relevant and exciting placements.
