At the Alice Smith School, we take immense pride in nurturing students who are not only academically exceptional but also deeply committed to purposeful leadership. The recent success of one of our Head Students, Ananya Gupta, who has secured offers from both the University of Cambridge to study Land Economy and Yale University to study Economics, serves as a quintessential example of how a British international education provides a robust launchpad for the world’s most prestigious Ivy League and Oxbridge institutions.
For Ananya, this achievement is the culmination of a thirteen-year journey that began in Reception in 2012. Reflecting on her time here, Ananya admits she never imagined she would remain in Kuala Lumpur long enough to complete her entire educational journey with Alice Smith. Yet, staying has allowed her to grow alongside the school, evolving from a curious primary student into a sophisticated scholar.
Ananya’s foundation was built at our Primary Campus (JB), where she developed an early and enduring belief in the importance of service. Long before she was implementing positive change across the entire Alice Smith community, she was an eager Year 6 Prefect who took even the most functional roles - such as Lost and Found Monitor - with a level of dedication that foreshadowed her future leadership.
I always looked up to the Head Students at JB. Being part of that environment early on made me realise that leadership is about the small things as much as the big ones. ~ Ananya recalls.
During those formative years, she explored a diverse range of extracurricular activities, from choir and roller skating to public speaking, eventually finding her true passion within the KLASS Students for Sustainability EPA (previously Eco Club) and student leadership.
A hallmark of the Alice Smith experience is the consistent encouragement for students to step beyond their perceived limitations. For Ananya, this involved tackling the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, under the expert guidance and mentorship of Mr Lyford. Despite not identifying as an "outdoorsy" or athletic individual, the school’s supportive framework empowered her to successfully complete the rigours of the Bronze and Silver Awards, and she is now close to achieving the Gold Award - a feat few students reach. This sustained dedication proved transformative; the confidence gained from taking physical and personal risks encouraged her to consider the US as a university destination - an option she hadn't explored until Year 11. Her success proves to her peers that it is never "too late" to broaden one's horizons and aim for global opportunities.
Ananya’s academic record is nothing short of remarkable - she achieved a clean sweep of top marks across ten IGCSE subjects, earning nine grade 9s and an A*, including the ‘Highest Mark in Asia’ for Spanish. Her success in navigating the demanding UK and US application processes was a collaborative effort. Ananya highlights the invaluable support of her teachers, who provided extra reading materials in Geography and Economics and conducted mock interviews to prepare her for the intellectual demands of Cambridge. "I’m always moving between theory and practice," Ananya says, reflecting on how she applied classroom concepts like ‘negative externalities’ to her real-world research on urban tree protection policies in Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur.
Ananya has left an indelible mark on our community. From leading the ‘Period Positive’ initiative and our annual Giftbox Appeal, to calculating carbon emissions for the FOBISIA Conference, her work has focused on addressing complex, real-world challenges. Mentors such as Ms Richardson played a vital role in this, encouraging Ananya to believe that a student's voice can enact genuine institutional change. Beyond our walls, Ananya founded a leadership programme for underprivileged schools in Jaipur, India, embodying the global citizenship that Alice Smith strives to instil in every graduate.
Ultimately, it is not just about the destination. For Ananya, as for all Alice Smith students, it is about a journey that opens doors, broadens horizons, and prepares students to serve as catalysts for positive change in an increasingly complex global landscape. By providing the intellectual depth required for the UK and the holistic breadth valued by the US, Alice Smith ensures that our graduates are future-ready. As Ananya prepares to choose between the historic halls of Cambridge and the vibrant academic community at Yale, she does so as a confident, reflective, and driven individual, uniquely equipped to make a significant and lasting contribution to the world.