Dr Femke Okten
Dr Femke Okten (née Leathes) was Head Girl in 1994 and an academic Sixth Form scholar. Today she manages her own Clinical Psychology practice with a healthy 40 plus therapists.
Before joining Luckley in 1987, Femke was schooled in the US for three years and prior to that at an international school in Belgium. Luckley was the first time she wore a school uniform and a first for not calling teachers by their first name! Yet, she settled into Luckley life well and went on to flourish academically and make lifelong friends. She recalls the small tight-knit community, the summer fairs, the bluebells, trips, as well as her Geography teachers, Miss Caldwell and Mr Blake (in his academic gown). The girls were taught how to sit and walk like ladies, she reflects with a smile.
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Laura Buckenham
Meet Laura Buckenham, former Luckley Head Student from the class of 1996. She is the kind of woman that you never forget – glamourous, confident, charismatic and intellectually humble. We speak over video call, as she lives in Stockholm, Sweden and points to the Baltic Sea, the backdrop to her home office. A roomful of plants and her natural world surroundings provide a sense of calm in Laura’s incredibly busy life. With a boat moored close to home (pointing again at the body of water behind her window), summer months are spent sailing the Stockholm Archipelago, with literally thousands of small islands to explore pristine nature. Laura’s narrative paints the perfect picture.
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Emma King
Meet Emma King from Luckley’s class of 1996. Emma’s love of science fiction in childhood (think, ‘The Day of the Triffids’ by John Wyndham) developed into a passion for science and all things space-related, leading her to study Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Sussex and onto complete a PhD in Cosmology at the University of Nottingham in 2007. A natural go-getter, Emma made history when she became the first woman to win the top prize at the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Student of the Year award.
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Ella Nonini
Ella Nonini, class of 2014, is one young lady realising her dreams. She began dancing at the age of seven, inspired by the film, Center Stage, and the main character’s red point shoes. Ella recalls the early years at Jayne A Coleman Academy of Dance. The highly technical dance moves demanded precision and Ella found perfecting such movement challenging. It was the summer of 2011, aged 14, that Ella shot up in height and suddenly dance moves fell into place much easier. Subsequently, Ella was thrust onto centre stage, embracing the manicured style of dance that had previously been difficult. Watching some of Ella’s dance videos, her dancing is articulate, elegant and dynamic.
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Jennifer Fell Hayes
Jennifer Fell Hayes is an Oakfield alumna, as was her mother, Kathleen Banks, who was Head Girl while there. Jennifer was vice Head Girl when she graduated early, aged 16, from Oakfield Upper Sixth in 1959, the last term before Oakfield moved from Kirkby Lonsdale to merge with Luckley in Wokingham. Jennifer is now a published playwright and poet, as well as drama educator.
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Anna Lawler
A sunny disposition, pragmatic and diligent; words I would use to describe the lovely Anna Lawler, former head student from the class of 2001. Anna works for cloud computing and virtualisation technology company, VMware, having worked her way up to the position of Vice President of Global Partner Marketing.
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Kamran Khan
Kamran Khan (class of 2023) joined Luckley’s Sixth Form as a scholar and made his mark early on. Planned, highly organised and always happy to help, Kam’s ‘superhero’ campaign for Head Student earned him the position – a challenge he was happy to own. At Luckley, Kam’s positive and ambitious character was admired by all; many looking up to him for advice and support. Kam aimed high and secured a degree apprenticeship at the prestigious, JP Morgan.
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Samantha Hunt (née Clarkson) MBE
As well as two national teaching awards and her MBE, Samantha has been recognised as a Sue Ryder “Woman of Achievement”, a “Pride of Bracknell” and has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Winchester. At Luckley we often talk about pupils discovering their gifts and talents to go on to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. Yet it is by giving these talents away for the service of others that provides purpose and a life well lived.
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