Have you undertaken any kind of further study since leaving Bedales and have you gained any further qualifications?
After leaving Bedales (and two gap years), I went to Newcastle to study Biomedical Science BSc Hons. Additionally through the Navy I have attained a BSc in Marine Science, a PG Cert in Meteorology and I’m now also an IHO accredited CAT B Hydrography Surveyor.
What kind of work are you currently involved in, and how and why have you come to be doing it?
I am a Warfare Officer in the Royal Navy; I applied in my final year of university because I wanted a challenging and varied career that would take me around the world. After a long application and vigorous selection process that took the best part of a year, with a final three day interview/assessment, I (somehow) passed and went to Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in the February after leaving University. Last year I became the first person to ever navigate a Type 45 Destroyer out of Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Currently I’m going on a Gunnery Officers Course, after which I shall join HMS SCOTT for the next 18 months, which shall be operating in the North Atlantic.
My time at Bedales has given me a confidence when speaking and projecting in front of large numbers of people
Did attending Bedales help you in getting to where you are now and how satisfied are you with what you are doing?
Bedales and the military are not the most obvious of links; however, I think the more holistic approach to education has helped me in where I am today and what I’m doing. Particularly the theatre and performing arts I was involved with during my time at Bedales has given me a confidence when speaking and projecting in front of large numbers of people, which is particularly useful in my job at times.
Have you been involved in any other interesting activities or occupations since leaving school?
After two gap years, one in India and one in Venezuela, I have been lucky to have had a lot of interesting experiences, from working in a Leprosy Hospital in Chennai, to catching an Anaconda in the Los Lianos wetlands.
Since joining the RN, I’ve played rugby in Hawaii, Australia, and a three day Sevens tournament in Singapore. I’ve played hockey in Puerto Rico, scuba dived in the Marshall Islands, sky dived in Honolulu, sailed in Croatia, skied in France and Germany, and done the famous Cresta Run in Switzerland for a month. All of which have been ‘duty’, i.e. work. Suffice to say, one of the reasons I chose this career path was that sports, adventurous training and travel are all possibilities, and often all come together in rather delightful combinations.