Hard work and ReachOut connections pay off for former mentee Tionne!

Two things we’re seriously proud of here at ReachOut are the fantastic achievements of the young people we work with and the long standing relationships we have with our corporate supporters. So when an opportunity arises for one of our young people to work with one of our corporate supporters we get very excited at ReachOut HQ – we’re like a proud parent!

This is exactly what happened for Tionne Tulloch-May last month.  Tionne first attended ReachOut at The Petchey Academy aged 12 and continued to attend weekly mentoring sessions until he was 16.  He is remembered by the ReachOut Academy Project Manager as a conscientious student who “used to do his work and always try to help the other boys”.  Once Tionne was too old to attend the ReachOut Academy himself he came back as a volunteer mentor and supported another young person from Hackney. Tionne has just left The Petchey Academy as one of their star pupils, achieving 14 A/A*s at GCSE and 5 A’S at A-Level!

Somehow this wasn’t enough for his first choice university and Tionne says “I no longer wanted to go to my second choice university so I assessed my other options and tried to find a job so that I remain productive on my gap year”. He got in touch with Peter Blackwell, the ReachOut CEO, who referred him to Bloomberg. Bloomberg were so impressed with Tionne’s CV they offered him an interview straight away and when he was offered the job he says he didn’t hesitate to accept.

“I felt relieved and after reading the job description, excited to learn about the role and meet my team! If it hadn't been for previous years at ReachOut and developing bonds and relationships, I wouldn't have known about the Bloomberg job and of course wouldn't be in the position I am now” he says.

Bloomberg has supported ReachOut since 2006. The global financial information and news leader has been part of our growth story, helping to support us as we moved from one school in Hackney to 19 schools across East and North London. Bloomberg's support has ranged from employees volunteering as mentors to hosting events at their impressive offices.

Tionne started at Bloomberg as a Data Analyst in September 2016 which involves collecting and analysing data that is given to Bloomberg from clients, including large corporations, wealthy individuals and governments. The role is varied and he says he is looking forward to working on an upcoming project that involves the Spanish market as it will hopefully give him the chance to practice his Spanish language skills!

The role at Bloomberg is a one year apprenticeship offered to school leavers by Bloomberg and Tionne believes it is the perfect role for him before university:  

“I definitely feel that this year of experience will put me ahead not only at university but also applying for future jobs. Once I finish my degree at university I will have both a good qualification as well as great experience from a world renowned and international company. The information I will gain may also apply to my degree and future jobs and I will have acclimatised to the working world in terms of hours and work expectations.”

We wish Tionne the best of luck in his new job and with his studies next year, as well as a huge thank you to Bloomberg who continue to support ReachOut and provide exciting opportunities for our young people to realise their potential.