I came to the UK from Syria as a refugee and started my DofE journey to improve my English and make friends, and am the proud holder of my Bronze and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. My favourite section was the expedition! I remember on my Gold Award expedition and we ended up getting a bit lost, walking 5km further than we had needed to. I had to help lead my team whilst we navigated ourselves back on route – it was actually quite amusing. I think doing my DofE helped me developed teamwork, communication and leadership skills, which I was able to evidence in my university application to study Medicine at the University of Southampton.