Past Pupils

Success Stories from Saintfield High School

We take great delight in the achievements of all or past pupils. Once a part of the Saintfield Family, always a part of the Saintfield Family.

Michael Burgess

“Hey my name is Michael Burgess, and I was once a pupil here at Saintfield High School. I feel like I can relate with a lot of young people, when leaving school, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do or what road to go down after I left Saintfield High. So, I decided to go to South Eastern Regional College in Downpatrick to study Construction and the Build Environment for the next two years. Then deciding to go down the university route, heading off to Ulster University Jordanstown to study Quantity Surveying & Commercial Management for the next four. Graduating back in June 2022 with a 2:1, and now in full time employment within a Quantity Surveying Consultancy called WH Stephens in Belfast.

What you need to know is that whatever you do choose, doesn’t have to be the be all and end all. Over lockdown, myself alongside my brother (another former pupil here) started a podcast called The Official Young Hunger, that now talks to successful business owners right the way across Ireland, soon to be over the UK, asking them questions as to what were the fundamentals to their success, so that other young people can learn and grow from their own experiences. Whilst now actively looking to pursue this full-time. My advice to any pupil reading this is to do what sets your soul on fire. Advice we ourselves have been learnt upon our journey. We did it, so can you.”

Kind regards,

Michael Burgess

Daniel Peters

Being asked to write a short blurb on where I am now appears premature as it seems like yesterday doing Mr McCracken’s head in English lessons while guessing where I might be in 10 years in his creative writing classes. But here I am, and almost 10 years have passed since sitting in those classes and I am writing this on the not-so-sunny North Coast where I am living, happily married to my wife, Kirsty.

I left Saintfield High back in 2015 after being pushed by all my teachers to work hard and get the grades needed to progress through education into sixth year. However, sport was massive for me – I often put as little effort into my homework to maximise my time spent doing sport. After all, that’s how I got through primary school. Moving into senior school with GCSE’s on the cards, I knew I had to work harder. I learned in those 2 years in Year 11&12 that I needed to put effort into my work – Just as I trained hard on the Rugby field & in the gym to achieve sporting results, the same had to be true for my schoolwork. As I finished my GCSE’s and moved on to sixth year at Down High, this was further instilled in me with the school’s Latin motto “floreat dunum” which translates, “nothing is achieved without effort”.

I finished school delighted with my final results, however, unsure of what I wanted to go on to do. My faith in God was and has been something I have always leant on, and I trusted that God would lead me where He wanted me to be. So despite the frustration of not going immediately into University, I took a year to volunteer for a youth organisation called Exodus in Lisburn. I had the opportunity to travel and meet other people and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I discovered a passion to help young people uncover more about God and how relevant He is in our lives. So, I finished this internship with a view to study Theology at University which I completed. 2021 was a big year for me with graduating, buying a house, marriage, relocation to North Coast and started a new job as a youth pastor – all within 8 weeks!!

Although I hated reading/studying when I was your age I am currently on a distance learning scholarship with a university in Dallas, Texas, studying a Masters in Biblical and Theological Studies which I am really enjoying. (Who knew I learned how to read anything more than picture books @Mr McCracken). Education is a great opportunity, but also a powerful opportunity to initiate change. What every pupil at Saintfield High receives through all the staff and the learning environment is this quality opportunity – all you have to do is decide whether you will take it.

“School is the best days of your life”. This is the old cliché often repeated to me when I was in school – maybe you recognise it too. As I reflect on SHS with the caring community and teachers who will push you, it’s definitely a school that cliché resonates with. Friends are formed. Memories are made. Teachers who care for you. As I look back on my time at SHS, those definitely were some of the best days of my life, so my encouragement to you is; Enjoy it and work hard! If you do both of those, without taking yourself too seriously you’ll look back with fond memories and opportunities that will come from it.

Daniel Peters

Freddie Birt

I attended Saintfield High school from 2004 until 2009, I then moved to Wellington College to complete my A-Levels before being offered a place to study at Loughry College for my BSc in Food Management & Marketing which I attained a 2:1 in.

After graduating from Loughry College I got my first professional role as a Junior Buyer and stayed within this position for a couple of years, gaining great experience of what working within Procurement entails. In 2017 I decided that it was time to do ‘the usual trip to Australia’ that most young professionals embark upon, as my now wife, Jordan, was going out there to study and I knew it would be a great opportunity to broaden my horizons.

While in Australia I paused my professional career and worked on demolition sites within Sydney, this was an incredible experience that gave me a taste for travelling throughout the world.

When it came time to leave Australia, we planned our return journey road-tripping along the East Coast of Australia up to Cairns, where we boarded a flight to Bali. This started a 12 week backpacking trip exploring Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and finally Thailand.

We returned home to Northern Ireland in 2017, where I became a Contracts Manager for a local Traffic Management company. However, I knew I wanted to pursue my career in Procurement, so I started a new role as a Buyer for Norbrook in Newry to learn the ins & outs of large corporate Supply Chains.

I must add that shortly after arriving home to Northern Ireland, Jordan and I took a trip to Paris where I proposed on the morning of New Years Eve as the sun came up over the Eiffel tower.

In between wedding planning and after a year at Norbrook, I moved jobs to a local fitness equipment manufacturer. I joined as the company’s first buyer, quickly becoming the Purchasing Manager. I was able to grow the Purchasing team and the supply chain from being able to support £4m in turnover in 2019 to £20m in 2022. This was by far the greatest professional experience that I could have asked for, with several business trips to China and throughout Europe undertaken and the experience of managing a long supply chain during the madness of the COVID pandemic.

Following a crazy couple of years including a postponed wedding due to the lockdown, I got married to Jordan in 2021. With the restrictions that had been put in place during the pandemic, we were ready to be unleashed back into the world of travel and so it didn’t take us long to make many incredible trips to Morocco, Greece, Netherlands, Spain, Nepal, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A highlight of our travels was trekking to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas and then horse riding amongst elephants in the Zimbabwean outback within 4 weeks of each other- memories that will make 2022 a year that I will never forget.

Then in 2022, I ended my time working as a Purchasing Manager within the fitness industry, as I wanted to prepare for the next challenge that I wanted to tackle- working remotely from Europe.

This meant a move to an English based trading company that operates remotely, where I currently work now. Additionally, during this time I was able to start up a Supply Chain consultancy business specialising in sourcing products from China and have enjoyed relative success with several clients across Europe.

Working remotely has allowed me the freedom of working and living anywhere within Europe, such as Barcelona at the end of 2022, then moving to Portugal and to Morocco where we climbed North Africa’s highest mountain (Mount Toubkal) and surfed at the longest wave break in Africa.

We have now returned to Northern Ireland to live on the North Coast, as believe it or not, there’s no place like home.

Having said that, there will always be another adventure in the making.

Freddie Birt

Chris Pollock

I attended Saintfield High School between 2009 and 2012, a time I look back on with great fondness. I have many happy memories from my years there, particularly through getting involved in sport, which played a huge role in shaping my interests and confidence. Being part of teams, staying active, and throwing myself into school life helped lay the foundations for what has become a very creative and fast-paced career.
Today, I’m delighted to be working as a Social Media Specialist at STATSports, where no two days are ever the same. As the lead content creator, my “office” is often a football pitch rather than a desk, filming and editing short-form content for our global TikTok and Instagram audiences. I love the challenge of turning moments on the training ground into engaging stories, always asking what will catch attention, spark conversation, or become the next million-view post. Alongside this, I work closely with our marketing and e-commerce teams to ensure the brand stays innovative, relevant, and visually fresh.
At the moment, I’m heavily involved in preparing content for some major World Cup projects, as well as developing creative fitness drills for the off-season. It’s been an incredible journey since leaving school, and I’m genuinely proud of how far that early passion for sport and creativity has taken me. I hope my story inspires current pupils to chase opportunities they’re passionate about.

Chris Pollock

Ami McIlveen

Hi I’m Ami Mcilveen and I attended Saintfield High from 2012-2017.

During my time here I thoroughly enjoyed all the memories I made and the friendships I gained. Reflecting on my years here, lots of highlights stand out such as my group getting lost for over an hour and a half up the Mourne Mountains during Duke of Edinburgh (despite Mr Chisholm’s endless lessons on how to read a map) and all the Hockey matches as it truly reflected the unity of our school and our schools team spirit. I was also a prefect in year 12 for a year 8 class which I enjoyed the responsibility of but deep down it was more for the Chinese’s on a Friday. My favourite subjects were a tie between Technology because I enjoyed the freedom of being creative and having the craic with Mr Bolton and English Lit because the legend Mr McCracken made every lesson different and fun and learning was never boring in this classroom.

During my time in Saintfield I developed a real interest for teaching and working with young children, I then went on to pursue this by studying Early years education in Belfast Metropolitan College where I had the chance to work in a primary school environment, this experience led me to the decision that this was the career I wanted to pursue. I then got a direct link to Stranmillis where I went on to study SEN teaching, this was a very awarding experience and really opened my mindset on the challenges of working within education and how being a good teacher can really have a positive impact on the lives of children and young people. I now work in Killinchy Primary School as an SEN staff member, and absolutely love it.

My time in Saintfield really inspired me to follow this career path as all the staff here truly showed dedication and passion within their roles and really had a positive impact on my journey in life, especially Mr Murphy who no matter what always pushed me to achieve my best and always made me have a positive outlook on things.

Bryce Collins

After a successful amateur boxing career, Bryce has now turned Professional.

He will have his debut professional fight on Friday 26th June at The Waterfront Hall.

We wish Bryce all the best in his boxing career.

Lucy Rodgers

Congratulations to our former Head Girl, Lucy Rodgers, who has recently qualified as a veterinary nurse!

It is our understanding that Lucy is one of the  youngest qualified Veterinary Nurses in NI.

John Hill

Congratulations to John Hill on completion of his BSc Honours Degree in Sports & Exercise Science. He was awarded a First Class Honours. Well done John.

Please share with us your successes, experiences and achievements. If you wish to contribute to this section please send your details and a photograph outlining your particular story and the years you were a pupil with us. Information should be sent for the attention of Miss V Orr at the school email address.

We look forward to hearing from you!