After I left Bedales I studied Philosophy at University of Nottingham and gained a 2.1. I then studied a short course in International Human Rights Law and subsequently, after four months working on a farm in Peru, an MSc in Experimental Psychology.
I have been working as an assistant psychologist in various places, neuropsychology (in dementia) and older adult mental health services in the NHS. I started my doctorate in clinical psychology in 2019 to train to be a psychologist, which will take three years.
Why I came to be doing what I am doing: to put it briefly, I have always been people focussed. I think Bedales certainly nurtured this within me - as well as my family - and enabled its students to think holistically about others. Whilst studying human rights I realised I wanted to work with people therapeutically who had been victims of human rights abuse rather than through law and so pursued Psychology. This then led me to Mental Health, which has been emotionally demanding but greatly rewarding.
I think Bedales is a school that greatly values human interaction and connectedness and instils this in its students, hence why so many of us are still good mates. I really have taken the values of honest communication and care towards my career!
I still have a way to go before being qualified but I have been and remain very satisfied with what I am doing and with what is next, despite the fact it will be very challenging.
Outside work, I enjoy travelling. I initially decided to go to Peru because my uncle had an old girlfriend who he was still in touch with out there. I contacted her and stayed with them for a while. I found the farm through them, as I wanted to do some volunteer work. The farm was attached to a small hotel which was using ingredients from the farm to provide for the guests with the aim of being entirely self-sufficient and I really liked this idea. It was a beautiful place; a previous guest years before stayed for free in exchange for building a sauna!
There were around seven local farmers and myself. I worked five days a week from 8am-4pm with them. It was fantastic. I lived in a small homestay with a family and a couple of other volunteers who were teaching English in schools in the area. At the weekends I had time to explore and enjoyed several two day hikes in the Andes.
(Summer 2017)