The Duke of Edinburgh Award has shaped who I am and how I spend my time. I started my journey with a direct silver award. It was a fantastic opportunity to get recognition for my sports and volunteering. I just needed a skill – with my school offering a glass jewellery making course, I had to look no further. Then came time for the expedition, having spent my childhood in African savanna, I was not prepared for the mountains I would be hiking! They were cold, wet and slippery with many trip hazards. After several days covered in mud, blood and bruises from each fall, I completed my practise expedition and decided my journey would end once I completed the qualifying expedition.

However, 4 years later I wanted a challenge! As a marine scientist I was skilled in the water and I wanted to be more skilled on land despite my clumsy nature. I was already involved in activities for my service, sports and skills so I rung my former leader and asked to join a group for a gold expedition. I was paired with 5 lone individuals driven with a passion for completing their gold award not shared by their friend group. Our expedition was a challenge, full of injury but surmountable by the encouragement of each other. Nonetheless, I vowed to avoid mountains after completing – they always resulted in pain.

Two years later my master ran out of money so I lived in a tent in the Mourne Mountains for 3 months. I feel in love with the mountains and spent every spare second exploring them. I couldn’t get enough of the difficult terrain (despite new injuries) and its beauty! I rung my former leader and asked to volunteer, a year later equipped with hill walking training (reducing my risk of injury – finally) my journey as a leader began. 6 years on and I can’t wait for COVID restriction to be lifted so I can spend 6 months of the year on my favourite habit (mountains) challenging, supporting and inspiring amazing young people. The award shaped who I am and taught me to never give up.