AMONG Waltham Forest’s high-achieving A-Level students were those who overcame adversity to achieve their success.

One such student is Trang Le, who gained three A-Level passes in maths, psychology and sociology at Walthamstow Academy.

She arrived at the former McEntree School in Walthamstow seven years ago unable to speak English and with no formal schooling.

The 18-year-old lived in abject poverty in northern Vietnam with relatives after her parents died when she was a baby.

Keen for her to obtain an education, her grandmother sent Ms Le and her sister to England, where she said it was several years before she fully grasped the language and culture.

She said: “It was really hard for the first two years to get used to the way the teachers talked, to try to understand and listen, and I struggled with the homework.

"But the teachers were very understanding and helped me get through it.”

Ms Le, who lives in Highams Park, said her first major achievement was passing her GCSEs, even surpassing some of her classmates in English.

But she said she was delighted when she got her results last week and was filled with emotion when she described telling her grandmother of her success.

Now she is looking forward to studying finance and accounting at Middlesex University and hopes to go on to study for a masters degree.

Eighteen-year-old Onajite Riamah joined Sir George Monoux Sixth Form College from her native Nigeria just over a year ago and has achieved good enough grades to study to become a doctor.

The teenager, who was also student vice governor of the college in Chingford Road, Walthamstow, said it was difficult at times because she missed her mum, who stayed in Nigeria.

She said: “I had to adjust to the education system over here and felt I had to work harder to catch up with everyone. But I knew what I wanted to do, so I just went for it.

“It was very difficult being away my mum, but she was keen for me to get an education and she is very proud of me.”

Ms Riamah will be studying an extended medical degree at King's College London in September and has been awarded a Helen Kennedy Foundation bursary to help finance her studies.

She added: “I am really happy that all the hard work I put in paid off. The help I got from my teachers really helped.”