Ali Paul

House and Years at Fettes:
Kimmerghame 2000 - 2005

Qualifications and career:
2005-2006 Royal Holloway, University of London.
Music & Psychology (Choral Scholarship);
2006-2010 Member of Elliot Minor;
2010-2013 University of York, LLB Law;
2013-2014 Studying the LLM LPC at the College of Law;
2014-2016 Training as a solicitor at DLA Piper

What is your most cherished memory from your time at Fettes?
I played in a piano recital with Johnny Ng and Julia Murray in Upper 6th. I felt very fortunate to have been asked to play in the recital; both Johnny and Julia were outstanding pianists so it was a really great way to cap off my musical career at the school. I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and I can still remember the evening well. As a musician I was encouraged a lot at Fettes and had this not been the case I probably wouldn’t have gone on to join Elliot Minor and I quite possibly wouldn’t still be playing the piano today.

And your least?
I can still remember the first time I played Rugby in 3rd Form. I hadn’t played the sport ever before and to ‘warm us into the sport’ we started with some tackling practice. It was a bitterly cold September day, all of my peers seemed far larger than I was, and (though I didn’t even want to admit it to myself) I was missing home a lot! Despite my slightly harrowing first experience of the sport I soon found my place on the wing. In this position I was able evade the attention of the opposition for long stretches of the game. On the odd occasion that my teammates did entrust me with the ball I learnt that the faster I ran, the less likely it was that I’d be hurled towards the uninviting mud.

What event or personality left a lasting impression on you?
The singing in Chapel always impressed me! I liked the fact that there was a competitive element. There was a genuine inter-house rivalry when it came to singing hymns; everyone sang with such passion and commitment.

Were you awarded a scholarship at Fettes and, if so, what did it mean to you?
I was a music scholar at Fettes and in many ways the scholarship defined my time at the school. Had I not been offered the scholarship in the first place, I wouldn’t have been able to come to the school due to financial constraints. I look back fondly on the part that music played in my time at Fettes. Sometimes it was tough balancing my musical commitments with other school commitments but the lessons I learnt through doing this were invaluable.

Were you a conscientious student?
I wasn’t a perfect pupil – I remember spending a few Saturday nights in detention and I had a bit of an aversion to Science and Maths but I worked hard when I needed to. The teachers at Fettes were really good at putting the pressure on when they felt I could be giving more and overall I’m very pleased with my eventual exam results.

Outside the classroom, how did you spend your free time at Fettes?
I was obsessed with table tennis. Kimmerghame had (and still has) a table tennis table and I played whenever I could find a willing opponent. I remember playing some particularly high quality games with Jamie Kelly I’m sure we’d both still disagree who is the best at the sport!