The first full day of Reach Programme One has flown by!
After a delicious breakfast in college with their new friends, we took our Reach students to their classrooms for a morning of exciting academics. It’s always fascinating to hear the students talk about their subject, and hear about the huge variety of different subjects that we offer, from psychology to physics and astronomy, architecture to journalism and media.
After their first morning of classes, the students had some well deserved free time to explore Cambridge and grab some food from the local market, cafés or restaurants. Cambridge is home to a variety of shops, both independent and standard, so there was no end of options and we hope our students will enjoy exploring them throughout the next two weeks.
After lunch and a wander around Cambridge, we reconvened in our colleges for a further opportunity for the students to bond with their neighbours in the much anticipated scavenger hunt: The Instravaganza! In our corridor groups we followed clues around Cambridge to take creative photos at its iconic locations. The students created Instagram accounts to publish the photos, which you can find by searching for #ReachCambridge2026 on Instagram. The competition will be judged shortly, with points feeding into the friendly rivalry between Team Ice and Team Fire. This competition will continue throughout the programme, with plenty more opportunities to win points at sporting events and our evening trivia questions.
Our first evening lecture of the summer was an amazing opportunity to listen Ghanaian drummer Abass Dodoo, telling the exciting story of his drumming experience performing around the world for politicians, dignitaries and royalty. Abass delivered a powerful message to the students, a message that was instilled in him by his grandmother: never give up. The drumming itself was a beautiful way to begin our evening lectures, noisily affirming the beauty and joy of music and Ghanaian culture. Abass taught us that everybody drumming the same rhythm together is an exciting and powerful experience.
With our hands still tingling from the drums (Abass says that if they don’t tingle a little bit then you’re not drumming hard enough!), our students had some free time in the city, before heading back to their colleges – which are fast becoming familiar despite the grand architecture!
See you tomorrow to hear all about the second day of Programme One, and check out our Instagram and Tiktok for more daily updates! (@reachcambridge)
