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Countless hours spent jamming with friends in the Music block at QE sowed the seeds of Sergio Ronchetti’s career as a composer and sound designer for video games and films.

Returning to the School to deliver a careers lecture to Senior School pupils, Sergio (OE 2004–2011) recalled that when he decided to go into music instead of taking a place at university, everyone around him said he was making a mistake.

But, he told the boys, he had no regrets about his chosen path, since it had put him in control of what he was doing. He loves practising music six-to-eight hours a day as he finds it therapeutic and it gives him direction. He had been true to himself, his career giving him opportunities to learn from, helping him to mature and making him happy. “It’s more about the journey, rather than the end game. Every day I get a little bit better at something, I progress.

“Give yourself time to make decisions – meditate and do something productive,” he advised the boys gathered in the Shearly Hall. “If you don’t know what to do for a career, take a year out, work, take a course. There’s no rush!” Just as in rugby, you must actually take steps forward in order to achieve your career goals, particularly if those goals are ambitious, he said.

Sergio spent the first four years after leaving QE as a professional musician, culminating in the release of a full-length album. During this time, he achieved several accolades, including an artist endorsement from ESP Guitars and Laney Amplification, while also performing at major festivals and at sold-out shows in both UK and mainland Europe.

He did eventually go to university – but in his own time and as the next logical step in his career plan. Although he came from a rock background (influenced by his uncle’s heavy metal collection), he decided to eschew a possible future in a touring band playing guitar, because he “wanted to be a part of something bigger”. He loves the indie game scene and says his ambitions include working on “the biggest video game in history”. Asked what his ten-year goals were, Sergio staed: “I would like to score a couple of good jobs in film – possibly become head of a music production department”.

Thus, in 2016, in order to facilitate this burgeoning ambition to become a film and game composer, he went to Goldsmiths, University of London, to study Music, from where he graduated with a First.

Today, Sergio works as a freelancer, describing himself on his own website as a ‘composer/sound designer’. His recent work on the indie game Eldest Souls was showcased at E3 Los Angeles, the premier trade event for the video industry.

He is a regular supporter of the School and gave a presentation on sound design in video games at last year’s Year 11 Careers Convention.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Sergio’s story is a very interesting one – through a combination of determination and talent, he is successfully forging a career in a highly competitive industry. Of course, unlike him, a very large majority of our boys do go on to university immediately on leaving the School or after a gap year, but we are keen to make sure that pupils are fully informed about all the different options available to them so that they can make the choices that are best for them.”

Sergio advised any boys interested in following in his footsteps not to rely on making money from such a career in the beginning. “Freelance work takes a while to build up. Do it as a hobby first. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, either; you can use your laptop or iPhone.”

Sergio was happy to dispense a little technical advice – he suggests Logic or Ableton software for music production, using Logic himself, while Pro Tools is good for film-editing.

Asked about the skills required for a career similar to his, Sergio urged the boys to be open to possibilities and to be prepared. “If someone comes to you and says ‘are you ready to mix this album?’ you need to take the challenge.” He does not believe in luck: “It’s all about work ethic and discipline.”

There were also questions about the UK grime & rap industry and whether it incites violence. Sergio said he believed not; artists were merely expressing the violence going on around them. He added, however: “As a musician you do have a level of responsibility and need to be aware of what messages you’re spreading.”

Right from the start, Joshua Domb’s professional life had its fair share of excitement!

Just a few months after leaving QE, Josh found himself working at an investment bank and thus witnessed at first-hand the careers carnage among the bankers as the 2008 global financial crisis swept across the City.

He then embarked on a legal career that has so far taken him from the Old Bailey in London to court rooms formerly used for Mafia trials in Milan and from down-town Abu Dhabi to the heart of Sao Paolo. His work as a lawyer has seen him supporting big business and advising wealthy individuals, while also saving the jobs of 17 quarry-workers.

In his spare time, Josh (OE 2001-2008) now enjoys long-distance running and also frequently makes time to meet up with fellow old boys of the School.

After taking his A-levels in History, Politics, Business and Accounting, before taking up his place to read Law at Nottingham University, Josh spent eight months working for professional services firm Accenture.

“Most memorably, my first day on a client site saw me walk into an investment bank on the day that Lehman Brothers went bust – the ultimate experience of being thrown in at the deep end.

“Not having a degree or really being able to contribute to the project I had been assigned to in any significant way, I instantly became the most hated person in the office, protected as I was on an external project team whilst, over the next three months, bankers with 20-plus years’ experience got fired around me. By the time I moved on, you could fit everyone who was left on the three floors that the bank had in that particular building on to a single floor. Not fun, but a great learning experience!”

After his gap year, Josh read Law at Nottingham University. He thoroughly enjoyed his studies at Nottingham, but says the real highlight was serving as the President of the University Karate Club and fighting on the University team.

He then worked for law firm DLA Piper, where he trained as a solicitor, ultimately qualifying into the Corporate Crime & Investigations (CCI) Team. After four years, he moved to Paul Hastings’ London office and was tasked with helping build the American law firm’s CCI team there. He has now been at Paul Hastings for two-and-a-half years.

His work broadly involves:

• Advising companies in relation to internal investigations, for example in relation to allegations of bribery or conflicts of interest following a complaint by a whistleblower, or representing those companies if they are being investigated or prosecuted by a regulatory authority
• Advising and representing individuals who are being investigated or prosecuted by regulatory authorities
• Advising companies on matters which generally fall under the umbrella of ‘compliance’ – including areas such as anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, competition law and sanctions.

In addition, Josh occasionally deals with tax fraud investigations and spends quite a lot of time doing work involving the gambling industry “which has to deal with all of the things listed above, but with the added slant of industry-specific regulation”.

Among the highlights from his “exciting” last six years as a lawyer, he lists working on former News of the World editor Andy Coulson’s defence team in the high-profile phone-hacking case, spending almost four months in the Old Bailey during the trial itself.

He spent six months living and working in Dubai, mostly doing internal investigations in the pharmaceuticals sector.

“I am also part of a team which represents a former member of the British Government in an ongoing trial in Milan, where I have probably been 20-30 times over the last few years.”

There have been definite highs – “rescuing a quarry near Newcastle from a bitter dispute with HMRC and saving the workers’ jobs in the process” – and even, he recalls, the occasional low: “Going to prison! It was to interview someone who had stolen £1.7m and they let me back out again after – still, not an overly pleasant experience.”

In one period, he held meetings in an aircraft hangar full of disassembled private jets, just outside Paris, while at other times he was to be found variously: wandering around downtown Abu Dhabi at 2am; eating out in Sao Paolo; running around Central Park whilst the sun set on New York, and spotting the world’s largest sail ship whilst walking the streets of Gibraltar.

Travel is, in fact, at the forefront of his interests outside of work: “I love to get away long-haul at every opportunity. Cuba, Japan and Malaysia have been some recent highlights on that front.”

He is a also keen runner, completing his first sub 3-hour marathon in Frankfurt last October and finishing his first 50-mile ultra-marathon around the Chilterns in just under 10 hours a couple of weeks ago. “I am also a keen photographer, and enjoy listening to audio books, which I find is a nice change from the substantial amounts of reading I do every day at work.”

“Thinking back to my time at QE, the thing that has surprised me most, over ten years on, is how many people are popping back up in the most unexpected of places! I have taken many old classmates out for business and social dinners over the last year or so, and have a few more to get through this year also.”

When he stopped by for the Founder’s Day Fete in June, he found it “a source of great satisfaction to see how well the School was doing”.

“There are plenty of teachers and moments that stand out from my time at QE. To pick one of the funnier stories, I used to play rugby at scrumhalf, normally on the C team, but occasionally scraping my way into the B team. It would be a stretch to say that I was much good though and, my growth spurt coming a little late, I was certainly amongst the smaller in stature on the field.

“I recall on one occasion that we were playing away (I think against Habs) and I got unexpectedly drafted in at fullback on the A team (to cover for an injury, not because I was anywhere near good enough!). Thankfully my colleagues did most of the work and I wasn’t called on to get particularly involved – I never did have that ‘off-switch’ for danger in my brain that I think is so important for a fullback!

“Even if I wasn’t much good as a player, the School did give me a real love of watching rugby, which I maintain to this day.

“My single most important piece of advice to the current students is to never be afraid to ask someone for something. It’s amazing just how much people are willing to give of their time, contacts, knowledge and experience, if only you are willing to ask. Related to that, get over the fear of being told ‘no’ or turned down. You almost certainly didn’t have whatever you asked for before you got told no, so really you haven’t lost anything!”

A campaigner addressed sixth-formers about his own mental health journey and told how it inspired him to start a socially conscious fashion business.

George Hodgson, founder of the successful Maison de Choup* brand, visited the School just a few days before World Mental Health Day.

“I’m using fashion as a vehicle to raise awareness of mental health,” he told the Year 12 and 13 boys, adding that his was “a positive message, but a sensitive one”.

In the talk, he recounted the many ups and downs he experienced over a three-year period. “I kept asking myself when I would be better. The biggest word is time.”

He started his talk with a breathing exercise, talking to the boys about mindfulness, paying attention to one’s breath and letting one’s thoughts pass. He asked them to join in by trying the exercise themselves for a few minutes.

George, who comes from near Winchester in Hampshire, explained that he had been hyperactive from a young age. His mental health problems began when, at a festival in 2012, he experimented with drugs – ecstasy and MDMA – aged 16. He did not enjoy the experience and started to feel paranoid afterwards, so quickly decided it wasn’t for him.

A week later whilst clearing out the horses at his parents’ house, he had his first attack: he felt hot, could not breathe and started to panic. These attacks continued every day for a week. He was diagnosed with panic disorder and anxiety, and was referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) for counselling.

George then developed OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and began washing his hands 50 – 100 times daily. He experienced suicidal thoughts that increased over a two-week period.

He saw a reassuring therapist who listened to his story. He was told there was a 40-week waiting list to start treatment and was lucky enough to be treated privately as his parents were able to support him. This treatment included hypnotherapy to put him through the sensations of panic in a safe environment. George was prescribed beta blockers and SSRIs (a class of drugs typically used as anti-depressants).

When he was feeling better, George and his friends travelled to Thorpe Park, where they all decided to go on the Stealth roller-coaster. He realised that the medication he was on had made him numb – he felt nothing, no adrenaline or excitement from any of the rides.

George’s story continued with a referral for cognitive behavioural therapy to learn coping mechanisms. He learnt to challenge his anxiety by breaking down thoughts and trying to rationalise them.

Not long after this, George was at his grandmother’s house where he kept imagining there was cocaine on the table. One-and-a-half years into treatment, he opened up to family and found that talking helped.

In all, it took him three years to get better. During his recovery, he used diaries and drawings to express himself. While unable to go to college or work, George went to his father’s office and started experimenting with designs.

Eventually, he decided to start his own t-shirt business, with the help of a friend. In 2017 he launched his Warrior collection, which includes clothing with words such as ‘don’t feed the fears’, ‘sometimes I’m okay, sometimes I’m not’ and ‘warrior, not worrier’.

His aim, he explained, was not to label people with ‘I have anxiety’, but to encourage them to open up about their stories if asked about the t-shirts, thereby starting a conversation about mental health.

His collection made it to London Fashion Week, with celebrities and TV reality-show stars wearing it.

He started selling his story to newspapers and magazines to raise awareness, and the brand’s success grew very rapidly as it featured in publications including Vanity Fair, The Observer and the Evening Standard’s Style magazine, and was a winner in the British Fashion Startup Awards.

Twenty-five per cent of the proceeds of certain of his designs go to YoungMinds, the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people.

After his success with Maison de Choup, George went back to a festival – “the biggest place for drugs” – and found that he had no problem in being there. Indeed, he is now able to speak to a roomful of people, he pointed out to the boys.

Among his messages to the audience were: “It’s ok not to be ok” and “If you’re suffering or a friend is suffering, you are not alone.”

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “George spoke very frankly about his personal experience and in doing so exemplified the way in which talking about mental health can prove an important step in helping deal with the issues that you may be encountering. Through such assemblies we want to raise awareness among our boys of the sorts of challenges that people can go through with their mental health and to underline that there is an understanding and supportive community around them should they find themselves in a similar situation, now or in the future.”

* ‘Choup’ was George’s childhood nickname for his sister, Charlotte, who supported him throughout his mental health problems.

Sixth-former Mahdi Dhirani successfully undertook the longest bike ride of his life to raise money for an international charity.

Together with 35 other cyclists from his local community centre, Mahdi raised more than £31,000 by riding 56 miles from London to Brighton. He completed the distance in just over five hours.

Mahdi, of Year 13, said he was motivated by the desire both to give something back to society and to take on a personal challenge. “It was an opportunity to push myself, as well as being a chance to get to know more people within my community and spend some quality time with my dad, who also joined me on the ride.“

“It allowed me to break my limiting beliefs, as you need a strong mind to get over the steep hills.” The north-to-south route to the coast involves an elevation gain of 3,294ft. Overall, the ride and the preparation had proved an enjoyable and fulfilling experience, he said.

Mahdi trained for more than six weeks for the ride, cycling at least twice every week, whether on his own or with his group, Stanmore Jafferys.

“I cycled to Regents Park, Richmond Hill, Green Park and many other places in London, as well as a number of local routes around Hertfordshire. I took part in the Prudential London 2019 ride, which is an eight-mile ride around London’s most iconic landmarks; all the roads are closed, making it a fascinating adventure to see the landmarks on a bike.”

The money will go to WF-Aid’s Ali Asghar Water Appeal to provide clean water for disadvantaged families in developing countries. WF-Aid is part of the World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities.

QE pupils drew praise from faith experts and educationalists alike when they spoke at the launch of Barnet’s new Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education and in presentations to local primary schools.

Sena Lai-Fujiwara and Vignesh Rajiv, of Year 9, and Saifullah Shah, of Year 13, who are all members of the long-running Faith Ambassadors project at QE, gave presentations on their faiths at the meeting of Barnet SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education) at Hendon Town Hall.

QE boys also spoke to primary school pupils as part of the project, which has now been running at the School for some years. It involves pupils of different faiths working together to produce a short presentation on some aspect of their faith, which they then deliver in primary schools as part of QE’s community outreach work.

After the presentations at the SACRE meeting, the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Caroline Stock, was keen to discuss the project with the trio and to congratulate them on their work, while a letter sent subsequently to Headmaster Neil Enright brought fresh messages of congratulation.

The joint letter from Dr Anna Sallnow, a Religious Education consultant representing the local authority, and Kevin McSharry, Chair of Barnet SACRE, said: “It was quite a daunting task to speak in front of such a distinguished audience. However, your students rose to the challenge magnificently. They spoke with clarity, enthusiasm and understanding… [and] listened respectfully while other participants spoke. They all showed how much they enjoy their RE lessons and the importance of being religiously literate in our ever-changing world.”

QE’s Head of Philosophy, Religion and Society, Jack Robertson, said: “The Faith Ambassadors project gives our boys an opportunity to share with others details of their faith which they are passionate about, while at the same time working on their presentation skills. Primary pupils then get to hear about a particular religion from a QE student’s personal perspective, which can greatly enrich their understanding of a religion.

“Barnet is one of the most religiously diverse boroughs in England, and the make-up of QE’s Faith Ambassadors reflects this diversity: this year, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh pupils all participated in the project, visiting schools in Barnet and Finchley.

Faith Ambassadors Saifullah Shah and Ben Domb (Year 13) spoke afterwards about their experiences, with Saifullah stating that it had been “a golden opportunity that enabled us to inspire others” and Ben saying it had been “a rewarding process [that] allowed me to explore my religion in a way that I hadn’t thought about before”.