Success for Paddington Academy Young Leader

Sixth Form student Omar Oaret-Sorr follows up US experience with a UK youth leadership role

A sixth form student at Paddington Academy has been chosen as the John Adams Society (JAS) Youth Representative for the UK.

Earlier this year in August, Omar Oaret-Sorr was one of ten young people selected by the US Embassy in London to take part in the UK Young Leaders Scholarship in the USA.  This scholarship was fully-funded by the US State department and the US Embassy in London and was designed to give young people in the UK an opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

During his trip to the USA, Omar met with senators at the US Capitol, the seat of Congress, to discuss state politics and US Foreign policy, and received expert coaching in public speaking.  He also visited the White House, Harvard University and the Headquarters of Ben and Jerry’s to learn about leadership in business. 

Since his return from Washington D.C., Omar has been chosen to represent the interests of youth members of the John Adams Society (JAS), an alumni organisation of the US Embassy which operates across the UK. 

The society seeks to strengthen relations between British and American governments and individuals, hosting events on key issues such as social and economic initiatives.

Omar says that becoming Youth Representative is a “great privilege” and he looks forward to taking on the responsibility of mentoring younger members and encouraging greater youth participation within the society. 

He credits his experience as the Founding Chairman of Paddington Academy’s Junior Leadership Team with giving him the impetus to apply for this role, saying:

“Paddington Academy has been the backbone to all my academic and extracurricular endeavours. In few other places have I experienced such drive to succeed more than at the academy.”

Omar, who gained seven A* and three A grades at GCSE in August, is aiming to study Medicine at university. He says that his visit to Harvard University has inspired him to work tirelessly to achieve his dream of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon.