I left Crosby in 1991 to study Civil Engineering at Newcastle University. After graduating with my first Masters degree I joined a design consultancy in Newcastle and enjoyed a very fulfilling career with them for nearly 15 years. When the company experienced a delayed reaction to the 2007 economic crash, I was laid off in early 2010. I was fortunate to attend a 3-week executive placement scheme that helped me to examine my options for future employment, and resulted in me having a defining moment of clarity to pursue a new direction towards vocational Christian ministry.

I had come to a personal faith during my 6^th form years at MTS and have been involved in volunteer/lay leadership in the churches I have attended ever since, so this was not so much a ‘new’ thing as it was a re-orientation of my passion and priorities. With the full support and encouragement of my wife and sons, we relocated as a family in 2010 to Pasadena, California for me to study for a second Masters degree in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. I graduated at the end of 2012 and was subsequently called to serve at a local non-denominational church in Pasadena where I was ordained as a Pastor. I am now serving with an incredibly diverse team that reflects the diversity of our thousand-strong Los Angeles congregation.

My wife is now a Medical School Faculty member at the University of Southern California, where my oldest son has been awarded an undergraduate place to study World Business this fall. My youngest son is still at High School but has his sights set on applying for the Royal Marines after school. The decision to embrace a new direction (and location) at this stage of our lives has not been without challenges, but has enriched us all and led to unprecedented personal growth that could never have happened if we had not stepped out of our ‘sheltered nook’. It has shown me the tremendous value of embracing life-long learning and not being confined to our comfort zones.

Matt Dunn, 1991 Leaver

William Abbatt left Merchant Taylors’ in 1962 to study Material Sciences at Imperial College London. He stayed a further year to take a Masters course in Production Engineering and Management. Having worked for many years in this field, he decided to study Law, the profession in which he has made his name in the following forty years. Working as a patent attorney, Mr Abbatt has dedicated himself to ensuring that clarity is maintained in all patent disputes, and to protecting the interests of businesses small and large. He has worked for Michigan-based law firm Brooks Kushman since 1986 and has received several commendations for his work, including being named as a ‘Top Lawyer’ in DBusiness Magazine’s 2016 edition and being listed in Intellectual Asset Management’s 1000 Recommended Individuals list for 2014/15.

The Michigan Intellectual Property Inn of Court is a philanthropic organization of judges, lawyers and legal educators that seeks to promote fair and ethical practice amongst junior lawyers and law students. Mr Abbatt helped to found the Inn five years ago and was enthusiastic about moving into a leadership role stating, “As President of this Inn, I have an opportunity to give back to the profession which has treated me so well”. Patterned after the English Inns of Court mentoring system, the Inn looks to provide best practice advice to those new or less skilled in the profession, in part through the educational programmes written by its one hundred plus members. The Inn is currently in the process of organising several outreach programmes which will aim to assist fledgling entrepreneurs in their practices. Mr Abbatt will look to take the organisation forward, while staying true to its initial goal of promoting excellence in advocacy amongst those it mentors.