It was wonderful to welcome Elani Sherwood (Class of 2023) back to School. Now in her second year at the University of Massachusetts, where she is on a full hockey scholarship, Elani wanted to come back and say thank you to the teachers who gave her so much confidence and encouraged her to believe in herself and her abilities.
After leaving Surbiton High School as a pupil, Elani joined the staff body as a hockey coach, inspiring younger players with her energy, commitment and love for the sport. She was therefore delighted to take part in our first alumnae hockey match that took place in December 2025 at Oaken Lane. Elani then spent a period of time travelling in Central America with two of her classmates before moving to the United States to study.
She is clearly thriving at UMass and competing at a high level in collegiate hockey. She spoke with great enthusiasm about her life in the US, describing the opportunities and excitement of studying and playing sports abroad and having such a diverse friendship group. Alongside her hockey commitments, she is studying English and French and acknowledges that it was the teachers at Surbiton High School who inspired her lifelong learning of those subjects.
Meeting up with Miss Huntley, Ms Street, Ms Higgins, Ms Keers, Ms Demetz, and Mme Paul and Mme Wills was such a joy for her, and she promised to return again later this year to speak to Year 11 on the wonderful community of which they are lucky to be a part of!
