Personal Background
I am highly respected amongst my peers as a source of information and advice, and am renowned for my dry sense of humour and unique, unmistakable style. In school I have won competitions for designing logos, public speaking and writing. I have also been recognised for my part in quizzes, art competitions, fundraising, cross-country and for full on-time attendance.

At University I further developed my personal skills by representing students on a JCR committee, developing communication, teamwork and organisational skills among many others. My further roles as Sure Radio Head of Computing and on Union Assembly, the Student Union's highest student-based level of democracy, have further developed my ability to play a crucial and leading role in a team, and the many group and individual projects I have completed throughout my education have served only to enhance my presentation, confidence and diplomatic skills.

In addition to numerous committee roles, I have stood for election to various other positions in which I believe I could make a positive difference to others. This degree of conviction and belief has led me to influence others on both a local and a national level through letters and peaceful protests. That said, I act only against issues I believe strongly against, and not before listening to the arguments, expressing my views and deciding rationally through balanced reasoning.

Academic Background
Throughout my life I have been committed to furthering both my character and my education in what hasn't always been the most stimulating of environments. From an early age teachers have remarked on my independence and maturity. When I encounter problems I search out solutions or investigate in an effective fusion of creativity and logic. My thirst for knowledge has propelled me through school, rewarding me with eleven A/B GCSEs at a school where the number of 5 A*-C passes is a third of the national average. I have extended my knowledge base through reading and research outside school and extra-curricular activities including science, art and website construction sessions inside school.

My degree gave me the opportunity to study in an environment conducive to learning alongside some of the best minds of my age. This presented a challenge, but one I rose to, still often performing among the top in my classes.

I believe not only that variety is the spice of life, but that innovation and insight arise when knowledge from one domain is applied to another. In a degree this must to be balanced against the need to study a discipline in depth. Through careful planning I have obtained a thorough degree in Computer Science at the level of undergraduate Masters whilst still studying modules in Mathematics and Psychology, obtaining respectable marks and giving greater understanding and meaning to what I've learnt in my main area of study.

Technical Background
I have been interested in computers since I first encountered then in about 1988. Two years later I started programming my first computer at age 9, mostly using variants of BASIC, Logo and various scripting and definition languages. Through continuous study, experimentation and a course during my school holidays I further developed my skills.

In 1998 I first experienced the Web after seeing it evolve from BBSs in magazine articles over several years. That same year I started learning HTML to create my own website and in the following years I have learnt JavaScript, Perl, PHP and other web technologies.

In 2000 I started my degree in order to finally obtain an IT qualification, learning Java, Prolog, SQL and other languages along the way, and inspiring me to learn more about C# and further languages not covered in the course from books and the web. I am now highly proficient in a wide variety of programming, Internet and computer technologies, and am a member of the British Computer Society to show my commitment to the IT sector. I hold several certificates in IT skills and am keen to learn more as the industry evolves.