Cardiff Sixth Form College is delighted to announce that the 2025 recipient of the Independent Schools Association’s prestigious Lexden Prize is our own Year 13 student, Hiya!
The Lexden Prize, named in honour of the Independent Schools Association’s (ISA) Honorary President, Lord Lexden, celebrates the most remarkable sixth form students at all ISA schools.
A truly remarkable student, Hiya lives in Cardiff and won a scholarship to Cardiff Sixth Form College (CSFC) two years ago. She recently completed her A-levels and was offered a place at Cambridge University but has decided to venture to the USA instead, where she will join world-class Yale University. Hiya’s academic achievements include winning the global Professor Layard Prize in the LSE Economics Essay Competition, as well as first place in the University of Cambridge economics essay competition. She achieved merit in the British Mathematical Olympiad Merits and Gold in the Mathematical Olympiad for Girls.
As President of the CSFC Debate Society, she has debated in the Oxbridge, Imperial, UCL and World Schools debate competitions, leading the CSFC Debate team to victory in the ISA National Debating Competition, earlier this year. She was also nominated to represent the National Committee in the European Youth Parliament.
Hiya has been selected for highly competitive work experience programmes with JP Morgan and HSBC and spent last summer working for a microfinance firm in India supporting women in remote regions to receive life-changing microcredit.
An exceptionally talented musician, Hiya is a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, having been principal second violinist for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, and will be performing at this year’s Proms. She has also represented Wales at chess and is active in charity work, having run the Cardiff Half Marathon in support of Ty Hafan children’s charity. She has organised debate outreach workshops for local schools and music workshops for primary school children. Having been part of the only Welsh team ever to achieve a podium finish in the international F1 in Schools Competition, Hiya curated a programme called ‘Wales on Track’, which guided more Welsh teams to the world finals.
On finding out she had been named the winner of this year’s Lexden Prize, Hiya said: “I feel honoured and thrilled to have received this prestigious award and would like to thank my parents, my teachers and Cardiff Sixth Form College for supporting me in everything I have and hope to achieve”.
Tom Arrand, Principal of Cardiff Sixth Form College said, “Hiya is an exceptional student and a worthy recipient of this prestigious award. Our scholarship programme supports local students to join our college, where they are encouraged to push the boundaries and Hiya is the epitome of a CSFC Scholar. Hard-working and resilient, she endeavours to support the local community and always tries to be a force for good in the world. We are all so incredibly proud of her.”
