Essay commended for exploring the legacy of colonialism

One of our talented Lower Sixth students was recently invited to Oriel College, Oxford to celebrate her success in a national essay competition.

Anoushka Maraj (L6WER) entered the Rex Nettleford Essay Competition. Launched in 2021 for Year 12 students, the competition is intended to encourage students to engage with the legacies of colonialism in all its forms – historical, political, economic, social, cultural.

Anoushka was commended for her essay, “Forgotten Footsteps: Inter-colonial displacement, colonial language policies and diasporic identity”, which was written in response to a prompt from the competition organisers.

The highly personal essay takes the reader on a journey through time and continents from Kolkata to Trinidad, to the UK and back to Kolkata, reflecting on how colonial language policies have shaped Anoushka’s own identity. 

Head of Sixth Form, Josh Carter, congratulated Anoushka on her achievement.

He said: “Essay competitions like this are highly competitive and Anoushka should be very proud of how well she has done. Her essay was well written, well researched and very personal to her, which made it a particularly interesting read.

“Competitions like this encourage students to think deeply about a topic beyond the school curriculum and widen their academic horizons. As such, they are a great way to prepare for university applications and we encourage students to get involved with topics that interest them.”

Following her achievement, Anoushka was invited to attend the 2025 Rex Nettleford Lecture on Colonialism and its Legacies at Oriel College, where she received her prize and met with other winners. 

You can read Anoushka’s essay here. 

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