Gigi grew up in London, but movement shaped her life long before she ever clipped into a pair of skis. Classical ballet was her first language, hours at the barre, the discipline, the artistry, until a foot injury nudged her toward the mountains. Skiing, something she had learned as a child, quickly became more than a pastime; it became a calling. “I’ve always needed to move,” she says. “When ballet stopped being possible, skiing felt like the only place my body and mind could breathe.”
During lockdown, while many felt their worlds shrink, Gigi’s expanded. She attended a school committed to raising ambitious, confident young women, and with their support she was able to chase her dream of ski racing in Europe while continuing her studies online. Days were spent training on Italian slopes; evenings were filled with Classical Greek, Latin, Italian, and English Literature at pre‑U level. She cooked for herself, cleaned for herself, and read Middlemarch and the poetry of Edward Thomas and Harold Pinter between training runs. “Reading on the mountain was surreal,” she recalls. “I’d be analysing Middlemarch in a tiny Italian apartment after a day of slalom gates. It was exhausting and completely wonderful.”
When she left school in 2021, she made a bold choice: not to apply for full‑time university. Ski racing demanded everything - long days, relentless travel, physical and mental strain, and long stretches away from home. But she knew she needed something more than sport to keep her mind alive. “I realised very quickly that if I didn’t feed the academic part of myself, I’d lose a piece of who I am,” she says. “I needed literature for my soul.”
Cambridge had always been a dream. So when she discovered the Cambridge PACE English Literature programmes, it felt like a door swinging open. “I remember thinking, surely this can’t be real,” she laughs. “Studying at Cambridge while racing for Team GB? It felt like the stars aligning.” She enrolled with a sense of disbelief and delight.
Now in her fourth year, Gigi is completing her second diploma, having already earned both English Literature certificates, equivalent to two years of undergraduate study. She anticipates completing her Bachelor’s degree in the near future. The programme’s thematic, semester‑based structure has taken her on a sweeping journey: from Thoreau to Moby-Dick, from Middlemarch to T. S. Eliot, from J. M. Coetzee to Sylvia Plath, and back through the centuries to Chaucer. “It’s like being handed a map of the whole literary world,” she says. “Every module opens a new door.”
Her studies have also allowed her to draw on her past in unexpected ways. When exploring adaptation theory, she compared Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with Tim Burton’s cinematic reimagining. “It felt like everything came full circle,” she says. “My dance training, my love of literature, my academic work, they all met in one place.”
One of the greatest privileges, she says, was studying Samuel Beckett. She approached him with awe, and a little fear. “I was terrified of Beckett,” she admits. “But by the end, I was completely smitten. I’m no longer afraid, just slightly in love.”
What makes PACE exceptional for her is the combination of academic rigour and genuine support. Cambridge’s tutors challenge and inspire, offering access to the university’s library and resources while encouraging deep independent research. Her classmates span continents and professions, engineers, teachers, parents, artists, each bringing a different perspective. “Our discussions are wild in the best way,” she says. “You’re learning from people who’ve lived entire lives already. It stretches you.”
Balancing elite sport with university‑level study is demanding, but for Gigi it has been transformative. The intellectual stimulation sustains her through long training blocks and race seasons; the flexibility of online learning allows her to study from hotel rooms, mountain chalets, and airport lounges. “Sometimes I’m writing an essay at 5 a.m. before a race,” she says. “It sounds mad, but it keeps me grounded.”
Looking back, she’s grateful she took the leap. The programme has allowed her to pursue two dreams at once: racing for Team GB and studying literature at Cambridge. “PACE has given me balance, purpose, and joy,” she reflects. “It’s been a privilege and I’ve loved every minute.”
Learn more about our English Literature undergraduate awards and PACE from Course Director Jenny Bavidge, as she introduces both of our undergraduate English Literature programmes, helping you understand what each course offers and which one might be the perfect fit for your interests and goals.
Explore your passions around your busy life on our undergraduate certificate or diploma in English Literature. Applications are now open and close on 2 September 2026.