Glasgow school pupils can achieve anything they put their minds to.

That's the message from two teenagers at St Thomas Aquinas Secondary who are both making history for their school.

Catherine Smith is to become the first pupil to be accepted to Oxford University.

And Katie Russell is heading across the water to Chicago where she will blaze a trail for studying at an American university.

Katie, from Scotstoun, was supported by the Sutton Trust, a charity that aims to boost social mobility by encouraging youngsters from deprived areas into higher education.

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The 18-year-old heard about the Trust at assembly and decided to see what it could do for her.

Katie, who gained five Highers in S5, two more in S6 and an Advanced Higher, said: "I went online to research the Sutton Trust and found it ran a programme for people from less well off backgrounds who are in state education.

"They aim to get that person into schools in the US - and I thought, 'that could be me'."

There were 3700 applicants to the programme with 175 chosen to take part. Of those, just 60 have been accepted into American colleges.

Katie said: "I always thought it would be cool to go to university in America - we see so much about it on TV and in films - but I'd never seriously thought I could do it until I had support from the Sutton Trust.

"The education system there is very different to how it is here and I find it's much more suited to my interests."

Instead of working towards specialising in one subject, as happens in British universities, Katie will have the chance to study multiple subjects of her choosing, though it is mandatory to study a language.

Katie said she's worried about leaving behind her mum as there are just the two of them in the family.

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But she adds that her mum has been completely supportive of her choice and is looking forward to seeing her success.

With the Sutton Trust, Katie was taken to visit a variety of Ivy League universities earlier this year but decided a more modern college would suit her better.

She said: "I want to have a more rounded education. Harvard seemed to be all about academics whereas Northwestern University has a real emphasis on socialising and extracurricular activities.

"It's one of the Big 10 sports colleges - one Northwestern student is competing in the Rio Olympics right now - and there are 10 different clubs involving film, which I'm really interested in.

"And I've managed to get full funding so will graduate with no debt."

Although Katie hasn't visited the university campus yet, she has been in touch with her new room mate via the internet and is looking forward to getting started.

Catherine, meanwhile, gained six Highers at band A in fifth year and studied a further three Advanced Highers in S6.

Like Katie, Catherine had outside support - this time from a programme called Unique, which helps pupils with the Cambridge and Oxford application process.

They took her to Oxford for a week's residential course and she decided it was the place for her.

Thanks to support from St Thomas Aquinas's Spanish department, Catherine passed the Oxford entrance exams with flying colours and also impressed during her five verbal exams.

Unlike Katie, Catherine, also from Scotstoun, has no outside funding and so is expecting to graduate with student loan debt.

Catherine said: "I didn't really believe it when I read my acceptance letter. It didn't quite seem real.

"I had no idea how the exams had gone and I didn't know what to expect.

"Now I'm a mixture of anxious and excited. I'm looking forward to moving down there and getting started."

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Both teenagers say they have had great support from their teachers - but the outside help made all the difference.

The 17-year-old said: "I think part of the problem is that schools don't necessarily think of things like Oxford and Cambridge for their pupils so they don't mention them.

"They mention all the other universities but you aren't told of the other options.

"Without Unique, I wouldn't have thought of applying for Oxford and without the Sutton Trust Katie wouldn't be going to America."

Katie added: "Programmes are good for giving that extra push and I would definitely encourage other people to apply.

"You can apply for other universities on your UCAS form so there's always that safety net and nothing to lose."

Catherine, who will read Linguistics, is one of four Glasgow school pupils to be heading up to Oxford after the summer holidays.

The Evening Times told earlier this month of Hillpark Secondary sixth year pupils Kirsty Gouck and Saad Rana who are joining Jack Wands, of St Andrew's Secondary, at the elite English university.

Kirsty and Saad will both study engineering science while Jack has been accepted to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE).

St Thomas Aquinas Head teacher Andrew McSorely said: "We are so proud of Katie and Catherine.

"They show that postcode doesn't matter, background doesn't matter... our pupils can achieve anything."