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For Dominique Hodgson (Class of 2013), now a Restructuring and Insolvency lawyer in London, her time at NULS was the foundation for a career built on hard work and a fierce belief that there are no limits to what one can achieve.
Dominique’s school years were a whirlwind of activity. Whether it was on the sports field or in the music rooms, she was never one to stick to a single path. ” I was captain of the hockey team and played a lot of netball as well, along with a bit of tennis, swimming and lifesaving. I also really enjoyed music and played the piano, and I was involved in Model United Nations”.
For Dominique, the magic of NULS lay in its lack of judgement. She credits the school with instilling the idea that you don’t have to fit into a specific “box.” “You can still be who you want to be and do what you want to do. You don’t necessarily have to be academic. You can be academic and you can love sports. You can not do any sport and you can love musical theatre and drama. It really instilled in me and my group of friends that we all had such different interests, but it still didn’t matter. There was never any judgement of what our hobbies and interests were.”
When asked for a core memory, Dominique finds it difficult to choose just one. However, the true legacy of her time at school is the group of friends who still stand by her side today. “I really enjoyed my time at NULS — the school, the sport, the teachers and especially the friendships. Many of the people I was closest to then are still close friends now. One of them, who I met on my first day of senior school outside the school gates, was a bridesmaid at my wedding last year and even wrote a poem for our ceremony. Those long-standing friendships are one of the things I value most about my time at NULS.”
Dominique chose to study Law because she felt it was a “solid degree” that would open doors. After training from 2017 to 2019, she entered the professional world just before the global pandemic shifted everything. However, Dominique thrived by leaning into the “well-rounded” nature she developed at NULS. She remembers working with teachers on her UCAS applications to show she was “multifaceted,” a trait she says is essential for securing training contracts in the City. “Ultimately, you need to be someone colleagues and clients are happy to work with and alongside during long hours. Technical ability matters, but being well-rounded, personable and able to build genuine working relationships is also important.”
Today, she specialises in insolvency and restructuring – a sector she admits is traditionally male-dominated. Dominique is now a passionate advocate for other women in the profession, particularly through her extensive work with the IWIRC (International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation) London Network. Since her time as a trainee, she has been heavily involved in the organisation, now sitting on the Mentoring Committee. These circles tackle vital professional themes such as navigating promotions, building a personal brand, and using diversity and inclusion to support career growth.
“I am lucky to have never to felt limited in what I could pursue. That confidence was instilled in me from being in a supportive environment at school, and it’s something I’ve looked for throughout my career — finding environments where people encourage you to aim high and back you to get there.”
Looking back 13 years after leaving NULS, Dominique’s message to current students is simple: don’t hold back. “Take full advantage of everything NULS offers. It’s a rare time in life when you can try new things freely, change direction, and discover what genuinely interests you. Throw yourself into it, you never know which experiences will shape you later on.”
Dominique Hodgson serves as a brilliant example of how the NULS spirit – academic excellence paired with a broad range of interests – creates professionals who aren’t just successful, but are leaders and mentors in their own right.
Newcastle under Lyme School’s youngest pupils have raised over £5000 for Cancer Research UK by completing a sponsored walk ‘from’ Newcastle-under-Lyme to Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia.
Louis Bond: “The site of the camp was much larger than I had ever expected. Much of the camp was destroyed, but there were the cabin like structures at the front of the complex which were tiny in comparison to the number of people who were forced to stay in them. At the rear of the
Mount Pleasant, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 1DB
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