DofE was a challenging yet unforgettable experience for me and I am so grateful that it was something I could participate in and be proud of. It was an amazing learning experience as well as the fitness side to it and personal life skills that we had portrayed along the way that I have now taken with me. It was a great way to work with others and navigate ourselves, getting lost multiple times, learning different lessons along the way and remembering to be patient and to not give up, encouraging team members and friends to keep going! Setting up tents and cooking our own meals, enjoying the food and the atmosphere of positivity and happiness because we had just completed the walk! There was no feeling like it, being proud of ourselves and having time to relax. Aching but persevering because I was determined to complete it and I was encouraged by the resilience I had been showing, gaining confidence along the way. The DofE has played an incredible part in my life considering it taught me many valuable lessons and it also reminded me that I can be independent and do things for myself. I can be happy and achieve outstanding things if I believe in myself and even knowing it is nice to have a little help from others as we sometimes need it, and give help to people who need it when possible because a little goes a long way. I will forever be grateful for this experience and will always remember the lessons that it taught me. After the DofE, I went on to get a job and had the confidence and life skills that were needed for it.