In March we welcomed three alumnae, Sophia, Lucy and Cathy, to share their experience with girls at Downe House:  

Sophia Hill (DH 2017) is a Producer and Newsreader at GB News, this includes presenting, gallery and editorial responsibilities. After a BA Modern Languages from the University of Exeter, she was considering a career in law. But instead, during her year abroad in Venice, she began writing a blog and began considering journalism. During an MA in Broadcast Journalism at City, University of London, she secured work experience with GB News, where she caught the news bug. She moved from work experience, to freelance, to full time in just 6 months. And recently achieved her goal to moved to screen talent as a bulletins newsreader, now working alongside presenters like Nigel Farage, Michael Portillo and Eamonn Holmes. 

Lucy Phillips (DH 2019) works at Sharkey & Co. Theatrical Agency Ltd, based in Soho, where she is an assistant agent. Backed by a degree in Film & Television Studies at the University of Exeter and a life-long passion for the Arts, she has now spent nearly three years working in the entertainment industry, alongside the UK’s greatest actors. 

Cathy Wippell (DH 2018) is a film executive and actor bringing female-led, environmental and socio-political stories to the thriller and horror genres in film. After graduating from the University of Manchester in Drama, English Literature and Acting, Cathy started acting professionally and discovered writing and producing through her work as a screen actor. She wrote and stared in the award-winning short film ‘Black Samphire’, a chilling British folk horror telling a cautionary tale about the UK’s water pollution crisis. Cathy is now developing ‘Black Samphire’ into a full-length feature film, with multiple BAFTA winners and nominees onboard, including Stephen Fry. 

Read more about our other inspiring alumnae in our latest Cloisters magazine